Both Sides of the Mirror
by 9shadowcat9
Summary: Mello sees someone like himself and touches the mirror convinced it's an April fools day joke.. until he's dragged into the mirror and trades places with the lookalike. Now it's a war to survive bullies who look like friends and classes that are deadly.
1. Chapter 1

Mello happily munched on his chocolate as he walked along the brightly lit halls of Wammy's. It was a good day with Near being in hospital after an 'accidental' fall down a flight of stairs that broke his arm. This meant Mello would definitely end up as number one for the next few weeks. Tonight him and Matt were sneaking out for drinks in celebration (well, he was. Matt was tagging along like the dog he was). Mello smirked snapping off another piece of chocolate. Yes, life was good.

Mello paused passing a mirror. This one was old, probably older then the school which was a feat, and worn down with one or two cracks. What caught his eye was what was _meant_ to be his reflection. The blonde hair to his shoulders and blue eyes were definitely his. But the clothing the boy wore was a _white_ long sleeved shirt and trousers and while Mello wore black trainers the boy was bare foot and his feet were covered in what appeared to be blood. The eyes were different as well, never had Mello worn such a desperate look, a plea for help was visible in the lookalikes eyes. And he was missing the rosary around Mello's neck that he always wore. The biggest difference was the way they held themselves. Mello walked like he owned the world (he did, Wammy's anyways the world was next when he became L) but the boy was hunched as if cowering, afraid of the world. The boy said something and touched the glass, pausing as if there was a wall of glass between him and Mello.

Mello snorted and took another bite of chocolate before meeting the boys fingers, he wanted to play a game? Mello would play. Instantly he regretted it when something jerked his arm and Mello fell forward. For a moment he felt like he'd been drenched with cold water then he was lying on the floor shivering, chocolate clenched in his fist. He sat up and looked at the mirror where he saw himself. The boy was missing. Mello sighed, his imagination was playing tricks on him. He stood up and turned before pausing.

What was once a brightly light hall was now dimmed, with a creepy aura. Mello looked at one of the marks on the wall and touched it lightly, realising it was damp. He pulled away and saw his fingers stained crimson. Blood. Mello's eyes widened in horror remembering the boys eyes. He began to walk down the corridor, arm out stretched as he stared at the blood thinking. He paused. Of course! April fools was tomorrow! The prank was a bit early though, Mello frowned in disgust wiping the red liquid on his clothes. What a sick joke.

He decided to find Matt and yell at him when he stumbled across him. Or what looked like him. His normally red haired friend now had brown hair and blue eyes with blue goggles on a orange strap hanging around his neck. He was holding a child to the wall with a knife poised at his neck. "Oh, you're here." Matt chuckled noticing Mello. "Found the kid stealing from my room. Know what we do with thieves?" Matt added moving his face closer to the boys as he smiled sweetly.

"Please! It was a test!" The boy wailed. "We were all told to steal from someone's room! I just drew your...!"

"We kill them." Matt said stabbing the blade into the boys throat. The boy let out a choking noise as Matt held him there while he choked on his own blood. Matt dropped him when he stopped squirming. "Now what to do with you." Matt began to walk towards Mello calmly, placing the knife back in his pocket. "I thought we agreed you don't show your face around me and no one gets hurt?" Matt sounded almost hurt. "It was such a reasonable deal as well, why'd you have to break it?" He wrapped his arm around Mello's neck tightly, almost choking Mello. "Come on, let's walk." Matt added pulling Mello down the corridor past the body of the small boy around nine or ten. Mello followed feeling slightly afraid. Was this part of the prank?

"Uh... what's going on?" Mello asked unsure of himself.

"That's what I want to know too. See, last I checked you were meant to stay away from me and you didn't get hurt which is what you asked for. Instead you walk up to me and then talk back when we're having a nice time together. See, I think that makes this all of your fault." He turned Mello harshly and held Mello's shoulders in an iron grip as Mello's eyes met the blue eyes of Matt. He couldn't see any evidence of contacts Mello realised in horror. "Have a nice trip!" Matt sang as he shoved Mello back. Mello barely realised he was falling until he began rolling down the stairs to the sound of cold laughter and stars appeared in his vision. Mello blinked in confusion lying in a crumpled state at the bottom of the stairs before blissfully passing out from pain.

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Mathew limped down the corridor gasping, ignoring the pain from the cuts on his foot were he'd been slashed by glass shards. The blonde boy paused and checked his white clothing then the backpack on his back. Everything was intact, good. He'd been paranoid that Carlos had smashed something, when he'd thrown his bag off the second floor balcony into a tree. Thank God the branch had caught it or he was fucked. He looked over his shoulder carefully before limping down the stairs and up the corridor towards what was originally the library but was now just a hangout for the black market. He needed to get bandages and wires. Mathew hissed pausing; he'd been leaving a trail of blood in his wake.

"Great." Mathew sighed hopelessly. Someone would follow the blood and probably nick his stuff, they were easy picking after all. He hopped onto the other foot gently and flinched again before continuing limping. No one would help him, they would only make things worse. Mathew felt near crying after what had happened today.

Cornered by Carlos, tortured, stuff almost ruined, locked out in the rain then dragged through a _mirror_. Or perhaps those were pain filled delusions like the lack of blood on the walls and the almost welcoming aura. He must be ill, Wammy's was never welcoming. Only threatening. Mathew leant against the wall gasping. Perhaps a few minutes sitting wouldn't hurt... He thought blearily seeing his vision blur as his legs gave way. Yeah, a few minutes... Mathew propped himself against the wall and closed his eyes, passing out peacefully again.

He awoke to whispers but kept his eyes shut. "I'm telling you, he's bleeding." Great, just get it over with and steal his stuff already. L probably wouldn't care if they stabbed him either. Perhaps hang him in the library as a message to thieves? It's what they did last year. "Should we call the nurse?" Nurse? They had a nurse? Someone poked him in the side of the head curiously. Mathew almost hissed at them but kept quiet. As soon as they poked him again Mathew turned his head and bit down on the offending hand, luckily Carlos let him keep his knife for _entertainment_ purposes. "HOLY...!" the kid screamed pulling away in shock. Mathew staggered up and leant against the wall as he pulled out the knife. They ran and he collapsed again.

"They ran..." He muttered in confusion. "...huh..." He was kinda tired actually. He looked around for somewhere to hide and after a minute just gave up. He felt his eyes try to close and tried to keep them open but the need to sleep was to strong. He fell unconscious for the second time that hour.

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**9shadowcat9; What do you think of it so far? Should I continue it? I have to admit I'm not too sure of the plot so any ideas are welcome. Please R&R**


	2. Chapter 2

Mello woke up with a groan and pushed himself up only to collapse as his shaking arms gave way under him. "Damn." He muttered pushing himself up again and noticed at the top of the stairs Matt was sat watching him struggle. Mello bit down the betrayal easily since Matt was the one who'd pushed… thrown him. "M… Matt?" Mello whispered feeling hurt instead. Matt just hummed to himself frowning.

"Do you have a concussion?" Matt asked getting up and walking down. "Well, that's no fun. I'm _Carlos_, remember?" Carlos pointed at himself tilting his head teasingly as Mello stared. "Silly, silly Mathew." Matt… Carlos muttered reaching the trembling blonde. "I wonder if I should get Far? He hasn't played with you for so long that you've outgrown your training." Carlos acted like this was a sin, placing a hand on his heart dramatically.

"Training?" Mello muttered glaring. Carlos raised an eyebrow and Mello regretted his wording. He still wouldn't obey.

"Perhaps I didn't slice your feet enough." Carlos said coldly looking at the shoes on Mello's feet. "Perhaps you need more marks on your back?" Mello gulped fearfully before he could stop himself. "Get up." Carlos snapped and Mello forced himself up, helped by Carlos grabbing a fistful of his hair and pulling calmly till Mello was standing and flinching in pain at every tug. "I will say this once since you're obviously concussed. Obey or wish you were dead." He hissed calmly. Mello tried to nod if just for the tugging of his hair to stop.

"Ok, ok." Mello muttered. He could tell easily in a fight Carlos would win, he was way more muscular then Matt was. Where was he anyways? Everything was so different to back home…. Carlos dropped him and walked away calmly leaving Mello on the floor again.

"By the way Mathew, where's your bag? You'd better find it before class." Carlos yelled over his shoulder. Mello just groaned forcing himself up and walking in the opposite direction, getting a horrible feeling over who he meant by Far.

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Mathew woke up in a bed with someone trying to pull off his top sharply. Mathew snapped open his eyes and pulled it down again to meet a frowning brown haired woman with blue eyes that screamed determination as she eyed his top. "Take it off." She ordered pointing. "You aren't leaving any time soon so you need to change." Mathew shook his head quickly getting out of bed and flinching at the feeling of open cuts that hadn't been treated on an ice cold floor. She leant over and shoved him back into the bed gently not giving Mathew an option to refuse.

"I'm fine." Mathew muttered coldly. A door slammed open and Mathew barely turned before someone hugged him from behind.

"Mello! What happened? Who did it?" He said quickly shaking him. Mathew turned and screamed in horror shoving the red head away and falling off the bed from the force of the desperate attempt to flee. Carlos stared wide eyed as Mathew scrambled madly underneath the next bed and hide. The lady took one look at this then looked at Carlos in a way that could kill and turn someone to ash. "Mels?"

"Matt! I will not have you in my ward scaring my patient! OUT!" She snapped pointing.

"But!"

"Out or I will make it so it's YOU in the hospital!" Mathew listened holding his breath as she pushed the complaining originally-brown-haired-but-now-red-haired-Carlos. Mathew frowned. She'd called him Matt… Mathew groaned and just lay on the dusty floor curled up. This is how he would've stayed if she hadn't lifted the mattress and looked down at him smiling warmly. "You going to come out or am I going to need to get Matt to help me get you out?"

Mathew almost told her to go then he remembered. Matt is Carlos. She almost laughed at the speed he crawled out from underneath and sat on the bed. "Now take it off." She added. Mathew frowned but obediently pulled of the top. She knew his fear, now she'd use it against him. All teachers were like that… Her smile fell and she ran to a phone near a desk in the corner. She dialed a number quickly. "Roger, get up here. Now." She said. "_YES _I'm sure it's necessary!" She added in a near scream. Mathew sat there shivering at the chill in the air. She slammed down the phone and hurried over pulling out bandages and anti-septic.

"How did you get these?" she asked running a finger over the crisscrossing scars running over his chest. Mathew edged away from the cold hand. "Mello?"

"Mathew." Mathew corrected.

"Mathew, where did you get these?" She prodded gently. Mathew looked away.

"Class. Carlos. Far. The normal places." He whispered in shame. Now he'd lose points. Perhaps he'd lose first place. Then Carlos would be first.

"Carlos? Far? The normal places?" she tried to push for answers while bandaging Mathew's feet. "They'll scar." She added.

"I know." Mathew shrugged mildly. He was past caring about scars; he touched his back where a cross ran across his back. One scar down his spine from his neck to his hips and another from shoulder blade to shoulder blade. "I've learned my lessons."


	3. Chapter 3

Mello found the library with ease, the layout hadn't changed. Part of him was starting to question if this was a prank or if something else had happened and if so what. Mello swallowed slowly remembering the run in with Ma… Carlos. He wasn't Matt. Matt was his best friend forever who would never hurt a fly. Carlos was his opposite. Mello froze. Opposite. In a mirror things were reversed, like writing and if you posed it looked like the person looking back at you was using the opposite part of the body. And he'd fallen through the mirror…

"Mathew." Mello yelped and looked at the person behind him. She had long blonde hair pinned back and a friendly smile, contested by the knife sticking out of her belt and holstered gun on the other side of her hip. "I haven't seen you in the shows for a while."

"Dove…" Mello whispered. Impossible, Dove was mute. Not here it seemed, he could see the scar under the make up.

"Dove? If that's what you want to call me." She giggled. "The Ladies of the Night miss you." Mello paused, where did he know that name from…? He shook his head mentally and looked around the library from the corner of his eyes. The once proud library piled to the ceiling with books was now gutted with tables made from the smashed bookcases piled with items. He saw someone hand over a pen and instead be given a role of bandages and a bottle of what looked like ethanol. "Mathew? Did Carlos chuck you down the stairs again?" Dove sighed, turning his head gently and looking at his head. "You poor thing." She sighed hugging him. "Come to the show tonight and we'll make you feel better." She ran off waving happily.

Mello blinked at the loss of the gentle feeling that she'd given him then checked his pocket wearily. He snarled. "HEY! GIVE ME BACK MY PEN!" He yelled.

"TONIGHT!" She yelled back from a table next to a red haired girl running a thumb up a cleaver calmly. Mello backed off when she raised an eye brow at him and walked out. He walked back to his room but paused at the doors. The area to the bedrooms in his Wammy's was only accessible to Roger and the students. This was enforced by a reinforced door with a key pad. He dialed in his code and frowned when it was denied.

"Lost your bag?" Mello turned glaring and froze seeing Near. Or what looked like Near. His hair was now black and his eyes were brown. He eyed Mello's clothes sneering. "I see you're copying me now." He added. In his world if Near did this to Mello Near would've been out a window or through a door. Near walked past and pulled out a square devise with two wires and a screw driver. "Or did Carlos throw away your bag again?" Near added removing the keypad cover and beginning to skillfully hotwire it. Mello watched carefully, making a note of what he was doing.

"Lost it." Mello muttered coldly, remembering his look alike had carried a back pack. Near looked at him smirking and Mello sorely wished he could just punch him and steal the device. He made a note to grab someone and steal theirs. He wasn't going to survive at this rate.

"Carlos said he'd given you concussion and a possible case of amnesia. I suppose I _should _help you… for a price." Near added glancing at the relieved Mello. If Near was acting like this then he wasn't the Far Carlos had mentioned.

"Uh… Yes please." Mello smiled slightly watching Near push open the door and invite him in almost mockingly. Of course, Near was an emotionless sheep so there wasn't much to reverse. Now he had to try to remember where his room was. "Uh… where's my room by the way?" He didn't use Near's name, obviously they were different in this world.

"Follow." Near sighed beckoning and opening a door. Mello went in at Near's motion and something hit the back of his head. In his final waking moments he saw Near grinning holding a base ball bat with a roll of duct tape on his wrist. Shit, Mello thought. There wasn't enough time to wonder where they'd come from.

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Mathew snuck out of the infirmary easily and wondered if the nurse was on something. Why else would she freak out so badly at the sight of his scars? Mathew shrugged to himself coughing quietly and moving his bag further up his shoulder. He'd got his top back and was now looking around calmly. He now understood. This was another test. He physically shuddered almost stumbling. He hated tests that singled people out. It meant problems when you failed. He frowned and turned the corner that he knew was the path to the library. His feet no longer hurt due to the painkillers he'd swiped.

He turned into the library and froze at the sight of books lining the walls. Mathew edged out slowly and ducked behind a table clutching his bag tightly. "I know…." Mathew muttered. "I'll go to bed and wake up tomorrow with Carlos and Far standing over me with a bucket of ice ready to throw on my head." He nodded sharply at this thought and got up to head to his bedroom. "I wonder when I'll get back…" He added to himself. He didn't like this world. At least back in the school he knew what to expect; hell. But he knew it, here it was like they were waiting for him to slip up so they could pounce. Mathew shook his head angrily at that thought. It was a test, that's all. He'd survived bombs and poisons and Carlos! He wouldn't die now!

Mathew realized numbly he had no idea where he was. In some places they marked directions in blood like signs. This was often false though, traps set by the older students to catch the younger ones and steal their stuff. Mathew looked at his bag at this thought. He owed so much to the Ladies of the Night…

Mathew found the bedrooms half an hour later after hiding in a cupboard to avoid Car… Matt. He calls himself Matt in this test… And then teachers trying to find him lead to him running down two flights of stairs and restarting the pain in his foot. Mathew thought of the painkillers and shook his head, he wouldn't waste them yet. He pulled out the device used to hack the keyboard and hacked the code easily. Wasn't this normally harder in tests? Or perhaps this was a trap again.

Or perhaps he was over thinking things again and he was better then he thought…

Mathew sighed and walked to his bedroom, opened the door and paused seeing Far look up. A white haired Far with a broken arm… "Has Mello come to gloat?" He muttered bitterly moving a piece of jigsaw slowly. Mathew gaped openly at the sight of a WEAKENED Far.

"Uh…" Mathew moved to duck out the door.

"Mello, if you're going to gloat come in and do it now." Far added picking up a toy soldier and marching him slowly with his working arm. Mathew edged in and sat next to the wall. After a few minutes Mathew wiped his eyes realizing they were wet with tears. Everything was just too much. Far watched calmly. "Mello is crying."

"I'm Mathew." Mathew muttered.

"Is Mello well?"

"…forget it…" Mathew sighed tiredly. "Can I sleep in the corner before you try to kill me?" He pointed at the only corner not covered with toy soldiers and jigsaws. "I'm too tired to scream so don't bother." Far creased his brow in confusion. "You know what? Fuck it. I got pulled through a mirror and now everyone thinks I'm someone called Mello. Believe me?"

"Not really."

"EXACTLY!" Mathew screamed pulling his hair. "And everyone thinks I'm insane and I can't tell if this is a dream or a pain induced fantasy from being thrown down the stairs again before having my feet cut open by a bored Carlos!"

"I can tell you if this is a dream." Far offered. "In a dream you don't feel pain right?"

"Oh yeah!" Mathew remembered. He sighed. Then a toy hit his head and he fell over in pain.

"This isn't a dream if you felt that." Far said going back to his toys. "I can tell you though I am called Near, not Far."

"…oh…" Mathew was lying on the floor staring at the stairs. "Pretty stars flying around my head." He giggled pointing.

"And Mathew is obviously ill." Far… Near watched Mathew curl into a ball holding his head obviously trying to sleep. Near smiled to himself, he liked this new Mello. He picked up a body warmer and put it over Mello. He looked up at someone knocking on his door. He opened it and saw Matt panting; he was obviously worried if he was willing to run somewhere.

"Is Mello here? I think he's sick…"

"Why would Mello enter my room Matt? I barely got let out the hospital and that's because Roger was worried how much class I'd miss." Near commented coldly before slamming the door. He knelt next to Mello curiously. "Why are you acting so oddly?" Near wondered aloud as Mello's face contorted in horror at something he dreamed. "Well, if Mello isn't going to hurt me I'll call him Mathew if he wishes." Near muttered to himself.

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Mello groaned waking up and froze. He couldn't move his arms or neck. His eyes opened in horror realizing that duct tape bound Mello's wrists to the chair handles and was wrapped around his neck so he couldn't lower his head. Then he heard chuckling. "Wow Mathew. You obviously thought you could play me." Mello jolted the best he could and realized his legs had been bound to the chair tightly.

"what…"

"Carlos told me you had forgotten your training but I thought he was kidding. How could you forget our fun times together?" Far added sadly. Mello snarled.

"YOU SICK FUCK!" Mello screamed. "I'M GOING TO RIPE OFF YOUR HEAD!" He froze. "I mean…"

"Oh no, no, no. I heard you. 'Sick fuck' am I? Too bad you think that." Far shrugged smiling. "Sadly you're the one tied to the chair and you haven't noticed yet." Mello frowned. What was he missing…? "You haven't wondered yet why your hands are bound so they're hanging over the arms of the chair so you can't defend them or pull them back." Mello looked down best he could and saw that his wrists were bound at the edge of the chair arms.

"Shit."

"You have _no_ idea." Far chuckled and Mello noticed the lighter.

"no…" Mello whispered in horror wide eyed.

"You finally guessed?"

"no,no,no" Mello began muttering hyperventilating as he began to struggle, contorting his hands as he tried to free them. "no, please, no, PLEASE!" Mello shrieked as Far approached lighter lit.


	4. Chapter 4

Mathew snapped open his eyes sweating from the nightmare and horrified by the realisation of what he'd done. He'd fell asleep in Far's room! Wait... Far shared a room with Carlos didn't he? So why was Far in his room? "Is Mathew awake? He needs to come to breakfast." Mathew curled in a ball cursing then paused. Why did he have a throw over? And why hadn't Far hurt him? And why was someone moving something over his side throughout his thinking? Mathew threw off the blanket in annoyance and ignored his terror of Far to look at the white haired child watching him with the broken arm and odd looking toy. "It's a new toy." Near said holding it up to show him. Mathew blinked in confusion taking the toy from Near to his amusement.

"...Thanks?" Mathew muttered. As soon as Near turned Mathew began checking for signs of tampering in case Near had changed a few parts to make it explosive. Near picked up another toy and looked at Mathew expectantly. "...yes...?"

"Breakfast is being served now." Near looked at the alarm to prove his point and Mathew decided to take it apart when Near was in class to look for hidden cameras. Mathew put down the toy and followed the whitette cautiously. "Is there anything wrong?"

"Back home you cook breakfast yourself. If it's prepared for you they sometimes add poisonous ingredients to see if you can tell what's poisonous and what isn't. More often than not though they mix it in with harmless ingredients so you don't notice them till you've eaten them. I've seen kids die from it." Mathew explained. Near clearly didn't believe him but took the explanation with a shrug. Near'd play along if it was what Mello wanted.

Near realised quickly Mathew had no idea where he was going. After stopping him going down the wrong corridor for the third time he ordered Mathew hold his toy and Near dragged him to the canteen by his long sleeve white shirt. Near huffed as Mathew just followed behind like a lost puppy, suspicious and ready to pounce if Near tried anything funny.

The canteen fell silent as soon as they entered. It was rare Mello and Near entered together with no one yelling after all. Near noticed immediately that Mathew shrunk in on himself and just dragged him to the breakfast queue. Mathew watched Near pick his food and got the exact same as him down to the same drink which Near KNEW Mello hated. Near sat down and Mathew sat down next to him and stared at Near's plate as Near began to eat the bacon, eggs, toast and random cereal he'd gotten that looked good. As soon as Near finished eating Mathew began, poking the food occasionally until he knew nothing was inside it. "Will Mathew be going to class?" Mathew froze, paling.

"What do you have?" Near ignored the mistaken grammar of 'you' instead of 'we'. He was still caught between calling him Mello or Mathew inside his head.

"Math, then geography, science and self defence." Near watched Mathew flinch at the word science.

"In science do you have... dissections?"

"Sometimes, why?"

"Nothing." Mathew looked slightly terrified at the thought, though Near couldn't understand why. "Where's Carl... Matt?" He corrected.

"Fell asleep in a tree after spending all night looking for you." At Mathew's questioning glance Near pointed out a window where a red head slept in a tree with his goggles over his eyes. "He's lucky he didn't fall asleep smoking again."

"he smokes?" Carlos hated cigarettes.

"Yeah, you got him into it." Near shrugged drinking his orange juice. Mathew sniffed the glass curiously and made a face before downing the drink happily. Near stared. "...we should go..."

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Mello couldn't stop the screaming as Far held the lighter under his hand, watching in amusement as the hand kept opening and closing as if it would help. Far finally removed the lighter and grabbed Mello's fingers to look at his red palm. "Does it hurt?" Far asked innocently poking it so Mello screamed again.

"Of... of course it does..." Mello managed. You sick fuck he finished mentally. Far hummed.

"I don't think you've been punished enough." Far commented aloud. "Normally by this point you're begging for mercy and offering all you own for it to end. You've only screamed this time." Far obviously didn't like that. "I'll be back." Far said getting up and running a hand through Mello's hair gently. "You even think about escaping and I burn your other hand." Mello watched the black haired boy leave and let his head hang the best it could, pulling against the tape around his neck as he finally cried. Had that blonde in the mirror gone through this? Would Mello become like him? Submissive?

The door reopened and Far wondered in followed by Carlos who took one look at the blonde and laughed, hugging him. "Learnt your lesson?" He asked looking in Mello's eyes. Mello just looked at him blankly, head rolling to the side when he was released.

"I have to punish him." Far snapped holding up a pair of pliers. Mello stared wide eyed listing all forms of torture that could be caused with them. Far smirked as his face turned like chalk realising what was about to happen.

"Anything... please... anything..." Mello begged, to horrified to raise his voice as Near placed the pliers around his pinkie nail teasingly. Carlos draped himself over Mello's shoulder smiling.

"You did something bad though, so you must be punished." Carlos sang. Mello began to shake, his mind to panicked to realise Far hadn't moved. "Have you ever had a nail ripped off? Bleeds something chronic. I hear it's very painful." Mello began to sob as he felt Far jiggle the pliers slightly moving the nail painfully. "Or perhaps you can apologise for how you've been acting, for some reason you always appear so afraid of me..."

"..." Mello froze caught between cussing him out of existence and begging forgiveness. Far sneered and tugged sharply dragging a scream out of Mello.

"I'M SORRY!" Mello screamed. Far raised an eye brow.

"I couldn't understand you." Far said tugging harder.

"I'M SORRY! I'M SORRY! I'M FUCKING SORRY WHAT MORE DO YOU WANT!" Far smirked.

"Try apologising sincerely for being afraid of use." Carlos smiled sweetly.

"...I'm sorry for being afraid of you..." Mello put all his concentration into it, if just to please them.

"Great! Now me and Far will get food and you stay here like a good boy, ok Mathew?" Mello nodded tiredly not bothering to point out what to him was obvious. HE WAS A FUCKING PSYCHOPATH! Instead Mello just tried to get over what had happened to him, but it kept replaying in his mind. The pliers, the lighter, the pain. Oh God, the pain. Mello shuddered still crying in shame. He'd begged for some kind of mercy. If it had continued, he would have begged for death. And Mello knew that.

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Mathew looked at the book he'd been leant in boredom, making notes on mathematical equations he already knew. In a desperate attempt to amuse himself he pulled his notebook out of his bag and began sketching a lock and in detail, the mechanics that worked inside that was used to lock and unlock it. He even sketched the kind of key would be needed to open it legally. Then he drew a human body sliced open and labeled the organs, plus which parts could be removed while keeping the person alive. He heard a cough over his shoulder as he began drawing the beginning of the preparation of a basic bomb that fired shrapnel.

He looked up at the teacher who looked over his shoulder in anger. "Mello, if you want to stay in second place I recommend you start to focus on lesson instead of planning ways to torture people!" she snapped. Mathew glared slightly but returned to the math book in annoyance. "…where did you learn this?" Mathew looked up and realized she was flipping through the notebook coldly, the worn pages tearing at her anger flips.

"Get… get off my notebook." Mathew muttered.

"What?" She asked looking down at him. He could feel Near glaring at the back of his neck silently urging him to get back to work.

"Give…" Mathew bit his lip. He could do this… students attacked the teacher before…. And disappeared… "Please… Give me back…" He tried a little louder. The teacher glared.

"Well?"

"GIVE ME BACK MY BOOK!" Mathew screamed clenching his fists. They all stared at him, he could feel them watching. Had he failed the test?

"All you had to do was ask." She said rolling her eyes as she returned the book. Mathew stared at it wide eyed. He'd asked the teachers here for something… and they'd given it to him…. Not like the teachers back where he was from who made you buy necessary items for class from the black market. Sure, they gave you the means to buy it but they still made you buy it. A pocket watch for a vial of arsenic. A pencil for a bunch of wires. Mathew smiled to himself.

"…I like it here…" Perhaps it wasn't so bad.

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**9shadowcat9; I just researched torture for this fic... part of me feels sick... Also, Far and Carlos were threatening to denail Mello if you're confused. It's very painful since the nerves under the nails are extremely sensitive.**


	5. Chapter 5

Mello gave up struggling within five minutes of them leaving. They knew he wasn't escaping, that's why they left him alone instead of leaving someone to watch him. He felt slightly insulted but extremely relieved at this, who knows what Carlos or Far would've done to him? Mello looked at the pliers left innocently on the side and shuddered harder. "Matt..." Mello whispered sadly, he missed his friend.

The door slammed open and Carlos walked in grinning, the smile widening as Mello froze wide eyed watching him like a caught deer. Far followed afterwards carrying two plates. Carlos snatched one plate off Far and flopped on the floor eating happily. Mello gulped, wondering if he was going to get any or if he was going to be forced to watch. Far noticed Mello watching and sighed. "The loser's making me lose my appetite." Far complained.

"I know." Carlos agreed putting down the plate and stretching. Far picked up a pair of scissors and cut the tape quickly, shoving Mello down again when he stood to run for his life. Carlos chuckled. "Bored?"

"I offered to help him, might as well keep my word." Far shrugged walking to a corner and pulling out a small device like the one he'd used earlier to open the door. He shoved it into Mello's arms. "Now get out before I reintroduce you to my pliers!" Mello did _not_ need telling twice.

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Mathew got through math without anymore issue but geography showed Near exactly how different their worlds were. "So England has a queen and a government while being a member of this thing called Europa?"

"Europe."

"Europe. And North Korea is a dictatorship with nuclear power instead of South Korea?" Mathew continued pointing at the map in wonder. "And Africa..."

"You really don't know this?" Near asked in confusion.

"Where I'm from England is a dictatorship run by Norsefire and crime is controlled by L." Near frowned but let Mathew continue, knowing Mathew was telling him this out of trust. "L controls all the crime organisations except for the Mafia and Yakuza along with some others. He assassinated the South Korean leader and set it up so we now use it so they make the drugs. In return they have plenty of food, nice living conditions and no one disappears. Some are publically executed for trying to overthrow L but that's it. They obey L and they're happier than they've ever been." Near nodded seeing the logic in this plan then shook his head. This couldn't happen! Mathew continued not noticing Near's disgust. "The school was set up near what was once called Winchester; it's now called no man's land. Even if we leave we could die, the mines don't discriminate. The only way out is to turn 18 and your score decides what level you become. I'm number one so I'm in line to take over Southern Korea." He paused and Near kept his silence politely. "There's also the Ladies of the Night. They run the black market."

"Isn't the Ladies of the Night the old term for prostitutes?"

"Yeah, they have guys to but they're so few and far between we just call them the ladies of the night. They can be either your best friend or..." Mathew's face darkened. "Your worst enemies." Near waited for an explanation but Mathew went back to asking about the structure of the English government.

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He made it to the library in time to see Dove leaving the room in front wearing a long trench coat. She noticed him and beamed. "Mathew!" She yelled waving. Mello sighed mentally and walked over to her. "I was worried you wouldn't make it!" She smiled brighter and Mello frowned.

"Dove, call me Mello and stop being so damn happy. It's creepy." Dove blinked in confusion her smile falling.

"Oh, did your... tastes... change again?" She asked putting a hand on her hip. "Hm, this'll be a pain." She began muttering in annoyance as Mello moved to walk past. "Hold it. Don't you want what you paid for?" Mello looked at Dove in annoyance and froze seeing her open up her trench coat to show a revealing nurse outfit with fishnets. "Still fit the fantasy?"

"...You're a prostitute." Mello realised aloud. Dove smirked and shoved him against the wall.

"Want to do it in the corridor again? Or should we go somewhere more... _private_?" Her voice was full of suggestion as she ran a finger down his chest. Mello slapped her as hard as he could.

"GET OFF ME YOU WHORE!" Mello shoved her. "You slut!" Dove blinked before snarling loudly.

"I happen to remember Mathew that you hired _me._" She snapped reaching under her skirt and pulling out a pistol. Mello made a face before running. She quite happily fired after him, narrowly missing as he ran around the corner and out of sight. "GET BACK HERE YOU FUCKER!" She screamed waving the pistol furiously. She huffed pulling on her coat and walking back into the room, slamming the door. "CARRIE!" The red head looked up from sharpening the cleaver. "Mathew appears in the black market again, hang him. No one calls me a whore. Especially not a weekly client." Cassie chuckled darkly.

"Wouldn't it be better to put a red flag on his head Mercy?" Cassie wondered aloud. Mercy as her true name was shrugged.

"Fine by me. Freak started calling me Dove then he acted like he didn't know what the Ladies of the Night were." Mercy huffed sitting in the sofa next to Cassie still burning in fury. "I want to castrate him."

"Don't worry, so long as he dies right?" Cassie patted her shoulder laughing. "On the other hand, don't you and he share biology?"

"He hasn't been in lately. Hasn't went to any of his classes. Which is weird, even though they're optional he still bothered to attend..." Mercy shrugged and began reloading her pistol lazily. "Idiot had to ruin my day."

"Chill out." Cassie moaned in annoyance as Mercy complained.

"Yeah, yeah." Mercy dismissed.

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THIS PLACE IS FUCKING INSANE! Mello mentally screeched as he paused running panting. He looked around and sighed in relief until he saw the mirror. Or what was inside the mirror. "You." Mello snarled at the scared form of Mathew on the other side. Mathew blinked as Mello put his hand on the mirror with a slap. Mathew looked at it in confusion. "Put. Your hand. There." Mello ordered sharply pointing. Mathew shook his head saying something quickly. "NOW YOU LITTLE FREAK!" Mathew flinched before suddenly smiling.

"You're in the world I always wanted to leave." Mathew wondered aloud reading his lips as Mello cursed him.

"LET ME OUT!" Mello screamed banging the mirror. Mathew looked at him in silent terror before snarling.

"I won't return to being tortured." He hissed before turning and running. Mello screamed in frustration as the mirror returned to showing his own reflection.

"No... No... NO!" Mello screamed banging the mirror. "LET ME OUT! Let... me out..."


	6. Chapter 6

Mathew bit down the churning guilt in his stomach as he ran, leaving the obviously scared blonde banging the changing mirror desperately. He deserves it, he told himself, he shares Carlos' eyes. He hurt Near... at least that's what Near said. Mathew shook his head furiously, he couldn't doubt the only source of information in this world. Well, only human source. ...Near was human right? Mathew chuckled slightly at the thought before turning a corner and having his arm grabbed. Mathew blinked at the hand then at the face.

Matt glared down at him as Mathew paled. Did he see him leave Mello? "Who are you?" Matt demanded grabbing Mathew's collar. "Mello doesn't run unless he's chasing someone and Mello certainly doesn't hang around with Near." He pulled the terrified Mathew closer as he pulled up his goggles so his emerald eyes were glaring into Mathew's blue eyes. "Mello is the number two in this school and never skips classes. You skipped biology."

"Please..." Mathew begged. "Carlos... Don't." Matt made sure Mathew's head banged against the wall as he shoved him into it, feet dangling.

"I want Mello back and I give you my word you impersonator. If you don't tell me who the fuck you are and where he is, I will make your life hell. I will make you fear every time you see me. Am I understood?" Mathew nodded quickly, sobbing.

"I'm sorry Carlos. I'm sorry Carlos. Please." Mathew begged no longer seeing Matt's red hair and green eyes. He saw brown hair and blue eyes. "Please. Not Far. Not Far." Matt dropped him wide eyed and Mathew slumped. "Not Far. Not Far."

"Who's Far?" Easily distracted Matt asked.

"NO!" Mathew screeched pushing himself into the wall in terror. His face was white. Not pale, white with his eyes so wide Matt thought his eye balls would pop out at any moment. Matt quickly thought of something.

"Tell me where Mello is and I wont get him." Mathew nodded.

"I... I left him in the mirror... I can't go back... I can't... Not now..." Mathew stammered, not making sense.

"WHERE IS HE?" Matt snapped kicking Mathew. It was a pathetic kick but Mathew still scrambled away as if Matt was the greatest threat he knew.

"In the mirror! I swear!" Matt shook his head in disgust walking away and Mathew just sat there shaking before pulling himself under a table. It didn't hide him at all, but he still knelt there hugging his knees. "It was meant to be safer here..."

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"I'll fucking kill that blonde!" Mello cursed getting over Mathew leaving him to rot a few minutes later. Now he was stalking the corridor until he saw a boy walking around in confusion, clutching a knife to his chest. Mello frowned at his idea, but he needed a weapon. "You!" The boy jumped. "Have another knife?" the boy shook his head quickly. "Hand it over and no one gets hurt."

"But!"

"I can easily hold you out a window for it." The boy looked caught in a mental debate before handing over the flick knife with a shaking hand. "Now scram." The boy stared at him like he was a saint.

"Aren't you going to stab me now I'm weaponless?"

"Want me to?" Mello raised an eyebrow and the boy shook his head quickly. "Then stop trying to get me to and scram." The boy just edged closer. "What?"

"Can I... follow you? I'm new." Mello groaned.

"In a sense, so am I. Hence me stealing your knife."

"But... I'm good with machines!" The boy tried. "I can hack anything you give me!" Immediately Mello felt a stab in his chest at the Matt like quality. "Please! I'll die! I... In biology they..." The boy broke down crying at the mere thought of what he saw. "She... she wouldn't stop screaming..." Mello didn't want the details.

"Look, I'm not very popular. Now if you follow me, you're more likely to be killed." Mello tried.

"He has a point." Mello turned and saw Carlos examining his nails in boredom. "The entire black market's out for his head. Leave."

"But he's the only decent person here!" The boy argued angrily no longer crying, not realising the pecking order. Mello did and tensed.

"That's why he's at the bottom of the pecking order currently. Well, second bottom. Right over the worms." The boy made a face as Carlos approached.

"There're worms here? Gross." Carlos reached the boy and smirked pulling out his knife.

"Right you are." Carlos hummed stabbing the boy in the stomach. He coughed up blood wide eyed, chocking as he tried to scream. "See you Mathew." Carlos added happily walking away waving. At the corner he paused and turned to watch the reaction with narrowed eyes, knowing that Mathew would leave him dying.

Mello stared wide eyed at the boy who was holding the wound trying in vain to stem the blood. "I tried..." Mello muttered in shock. The boy reached out an arm desperately, hand red from the blood and shaking as he started to enter shock from blood loss. "I can't... I can't..." Mello ran through everything he'd learned to try and help him and thought of nothing. He was training to be L, not a nurse.

The boy wrote in wobbly letters 'kill me' on the wall and Mello shook his head slowly processing the request. "I can't." Carlos frowned harder, this didn't match Mathew. Mello flicked open the knife slowly and the boy let his arm fall. "I..." Mello knelt in the blood near tears; if he hadn't stolen the knife the boy wouldn't need this. Mello placed one hand behind the boy's neck and the blade on the flesh of the front over the main artery. Closing his eyes Mello slashed, slicing the main artery and wind pipe. Immediately the blood squirted out of the wound over him. Mello felt the warm liquid on his face and arms and everywhere as he listened to the boy die drowning on his own blood. He'd sliced too shallowly. It'd sped it up but not enough for the boy to die instantly. Mello just shook.

"Who are you...?" Carlos muttered before shrugging. No matter, it just meant breaking him like he broke Mathew. He walked away pondering over his new puzzle and what to do.

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Roger listened to Matt as he explained everything about the Not-Mello. "I see." Roger sighed at last. Matt went quiet. "I'll contact L immediately." Matt grinned, if anyone knew what to do L would! "Now about the person impersonating Mello. I want you to get all the information out of him about Mello. And learn who Carlos is and what he meant when talking about the mirror. All of this could be crucial. He could be talking about mirrored glass or something completely different. We need something more specific. It will take L a few days to get here so use whatever means until L gets here, after that you'll need to show restraint... while L's around." Roger ordered calmly. To be honest though, part of him preferred this Mello. Less pranks, less fighting and his intelligence from what the teachers who'd taught him reported was almost identical. The only difference was that this Mello was, according to one of the teachers, suffering from paranoia. "Actually Matt, why don't you send in Mello?"

"He isn't Mello!"

"Mello lookalike then. We don't have his real name so what else do we call him?" Roger snapped.

"Scumbag." Mello grumbled walking out. Roger sighed.

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Mathew was still under the table and was scratching the paint off the wall with his nail. He was still scared, Carlos was mad. It was better to just hide. Yeah, hide. He was probably going to turn everyone else against him now. Mathew frowned. So Near was now his enemy. The scratching began to form words. 'I'm going to die' 'I can't die' 'I don't want to die'

So he now had to defend himself. Perhaps this was part of the test? He was meant to act like Mello and stay hidden and the reward for passing was safety. Mathew sighed leaving the wall alone. "...Mello... lookalike... person... thingy." Mathew looked out and went back under seeing Carlos. "Come out." Mathew pulled out his knife slowly. "I said come out!"

"So you can attack me again Carlos?" Mathew muttered aiming the blade at him. Carlos rolled his eyes and flipped the table calmly, only to have Mathew pounce and stab him in the chest coldly. "You will not ruin my chance here." Mathew hissed, insanity forming in his eyes. He felt the blood clinging to the hand as he stabbed repeatedly, spurting onto his face as the knife entered and exited the body, covering his hair and making it sticky. "Die." Mathew whispered smiling the smile Carlos always wore when torturing him.


	7. Chapter 7

Mathew continued stabbing until finally he dropped the knife wide eyed, staring at the blood. He picked up the knife and ran in horror. "Need to get rid of it..." Mathew muttered to himself, leaving the corpse in the back ground.

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Matt walked down the corridor certain that was where he'd left the Mello-lookalike. "MATT!" Matt turned to look at the boy running up waving desperately. "Mello's acting weird!" Matt rolled his eyes in annoyance.

"Where is he?"

"In the garden. He keeps washing himself under the tap." Matt blinked at that piece of information before running to find him. This brat was NOT ruining Mello's reputation anymore!

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Mello was sitting in what he now knew was Mathew's room. It was so plain with white walls and a worn bed shoved in one corner and a chest of drawers in the corner for clothes. Mello was sat in the corner of it after changing into new clothes so now wore a white shirt and trousers since his old clothes were covered in blood. Mello went to stand to see if there was anything else when one of the floor boards under him moved.

Mello pulled it up and noticed the one next to it was loose as well. "What a stupid hiding place." Mello muttered pulling the worn sack out of the hole and emptying it on the bed. A few machines he didn't recognise, a book, a few pill containers and a rosary fell on the bed. Mello checked inside the pill box and saw green pills. Looking on the name tag he saw they were called risperidone. Mello snorted.

Mathew had schizophrenia. He picked up the book and flicked through it noting the some of it was about how everyone was against him. He felt slightly guilt noting that Mathew had used sex as payment with someone named Mercy (who was most probably the blonde chick that looked like Dove) for the medicine. But the majority of it was what had happened that day, including what had been done to him by Carlos and Far. "How much of it are hallucinations though?" Mello wondered aloud.

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"Get it off, get it off, get it off..." Matt heard the blonde muttering as he approached. He paused as he watched the blonde scrubbing desperately to remove something only he could see, putting his head under the tap while scrubbing his hair at times. It was obvious he didn't think these efforts weren't working.

"What are you doing?" Matt asked pulling him out of the water.

"It won't come off..." The blonde was near tears. "The blood... It won't come off. I feel it..." Matt sighed and told one of the younger kids to get a towel and the kid obeyed wide eyed. "I killed you... I killed you Carlos... how are you still here?" he seemed to get more and more freaked out. "How?"

"...You never killed me..." Matt answered in confusion. Mathew sobbed.

"Get it off." Mathew tried wiping off the blood again but it didn't work. "Please... get it off..."

"Uh... I'll take you to the nurse later." Matt watched him turn back to the tap that was still on full blast and stick his head underneath again. "That isn't going to help." Mathew watched the blood run into the drain mixing with the water. It wasn't letting up. Matt pulled him out and wrapped the towel he'd just got around the struggling blonde as he screamed. "Stop squirming or I'll get Far." Matt threatened half heartedly. Immediately he stopped, shaking instead as Matt noticed his lips starting to turn blue. "Geez, I thought you'd be smarter... What is your name anyway?"

"Mathew." Mathew answered silently. "...Are you going to kill me?"

"No."

"Yeah right." Mathew scoffed to himself as Matt pulled him so they entered the school. Matt looked at Mathew in confusion.

"If you don't believe me why follow?"

"Cause you'll kill me if I don't." Matt began to feel annoyed at Mathew's contradicting actions and words.

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Mello knocked on the door almost certain he was making a mistake. This feeling intensified when Far opened the door and raised an eye brow coldly. "The deal to stay away was made by Mathew, not me." Mello said coldly.

"I guessed. You'd better come in." Far responded equally coldly. Mello nodded. "Carlos told me, what do I call you?"

"Mello. Now tell me," Mello held up the pill container. "How long did you know Mathew had schizophrenia?"

"Since he had delusions about being a messenger of God. After that we stepped in." Far shrugged. "I knew you weren't him, it's impossible to get rid of the scars. Especially the amount he had, after all I made most of them." Far smirked triumphantly and Mello shuddered.

"Yeah, well Mathew had a chance to come back and ran away instead." Mello sat on the sofa bitterly. Far shrugged sitting on the chair earlier that day he'd tortured Mello on. Mello frowned feeling the pain from the burn flare slightly.

"Would you return?"

"Guess not." Mello admitted. "What did you mean 'step in'?"

"Long story short we forced him to give up being a catholic and made it less obvious that he had paranoid schizophrenia. You can only be so paranoid here before it looks suspicious. Especially if you were as protected as him then. He was sort of 'adopted' by the Ladies of the Night. We convinced them to kick him out and instead we stepped in, giving him a _reason_ to be paranoid." Mello raised an eye brow. "What use is a Leader if they're certain they'll be killed by their followers? Anyone with a mental problem is turned into the next subject in biology. They cut open the skull to show the brain." Mello made a face of disgust and Far nodded. "I've seen it."

"Is there anything this fucking school _bans?_"

"Yeah, killing a teacher before you're 16. After that it's slightly encouraged."

"...seriously...?"

"Yeah, Mathew had that to look forward to next year." Far sighed. "I still have two years left."

"I'm not going to ask. So... you were trying to help Mathew by torturing him?"

"I've explained my reasons." Far narrowed his eyes. "Now are we done?" Mello pulled the rosary out of his pocket and held it up.

"You didn't stop him practicing his religion."

"We stopped him thinking he was a messiah. What more do you want?"

"..."

"Exactly. Now." Far pulled out his knife and walked over. "Payment." Mello paled.

"You never said...!"

"You never asked." Far responded grabbing the hand he'd burned and pulling it closer. He slashed the knife up Mello's arm so a long cut was left. Then as Mello gasped bit back his scream he did the same to Mello's cheek. "Payments done. Get the fuck out." Mello nodded and walked out, biting his lip as he stemmed the blood unsuccessfully.

"That hurt damn it." Mello muttered. Comparing it to everything else he'd suffered though this was nothing. Far opened the door behind him.

"If I don't see you in class tomorrow I'm dragging you there. I worked too hard to have Mathew loose points." Mello didn't have time to answer before Far slammed the door.

"...Ok? Now where _are_ his classes?" Unlucky for Mello Mathew had burned his timetable after memorizing it.


	8. Chapter 8

Mello sucked up his pride and went to Carlos who laughed at him. "Yeah, yeah, yeah. You want me to go to class but where are they?" Mello dismissed waving a hand. Carlos pulled him into the bedroom with a sharp tug on his arm. Mello yelped in pain at the hold on his slit wrist. "That hurts!"

"And?" Carlos dismissed mockingly pulling out a sheet of paper and giving it to Mello. "Mathew was in all our lessons since classes are arranged by intelligence levels and points. Remember to bring the pin reader; the classes change their pins daily. And the lock picking kit to the lock picking class. You don't want to be in the room when the bomb goes off. Oh! And don't throw up in biology, major point deduction." Carlos listed watching Mello pale more and more. "What else was there...?"

"Poison class?" Mello read aloud.

"Oh yeah! In self defence class anything goes so bring your knife and avoid being paired with anyone with a gun."

"Torture 101?"

"I swear I'm missing something still..."

"Hacking?"

"Oh yeah!" Carlos poked Mello's chest glaring. "You fuck this up and I'll make sure you're the next biology subject. They don't always use orphans."

"Math? Art?" Mello was still staring at the time table when he got shoved out of the room unceremoniously. Carlos slammed the door and chuckled, wondering if he preferred the pushover or the idiot with guts.

"Well, at least this blonde amuses me." Carlos laughed eventually.

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Mello found the class the next day easily. Hacking the pin on the other hand. "Work you fucking machine!" Mello hissed watching the numbers beep slowly.

"It helps to connect the wires correctly." Far sighed behind him, making sure no one saw this. Mello fought back the snarl as he stared at the ten wires (some no doubt duds) and then at Far. Far sighed again. "Red and blue." Mello attacked the machine and watched the pin appear. "It'll be the same for the day; tomorrow it'll be completely different."

"Great." Mello muttered in bitterness walking into the computer lab and sitting at a computer. Carlos sat next to him and slipped him a small disc.

"Put it in and watch me. I will beat you up if anyone sees." Carlos added seeing Mello's shock. Mello nodded quickly obeying while Carlos began tapping at the keyboard so the numbers ones and zeros appeared flying across the screen. "This class isn't to important point wise, but it helps. Allot." Carlos hummed getting in. Mello blinked rapidly, hands frozen as he realised Carlos had been too quick to copy. "I'm not helping anymore." Mello stared at the screen blankly before beginning to type slowly. Carlos hissed every time Mello almost hit the wrong thing. Mello succeeded in the end through Carlos helping despite his vow not to. Carlos apparently knew this and glared.

"You. Are. Pathetic."

"What the hell? We don't do this at home!"

"Then what do you learn? KNITTING?" Carlos near screamed hitting the table. Everyone jumped and Carlos glared at them all. "This fucker said he was smarter than me!" Carlos spat. Before Mello realised, Carlos had grabbed a fistful of hair and smashed his head on the table leaving him seeing the pretty little stars circling him. "Bastard!" Far just typed humming to himself already doing the work assigned.

The teacher just sat watching them all with a beady eye.

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"Well, that was a bust." Mello muttered to himself hacking the biology lab pin successfully to Far's pride. The blonde _did_ have a brain it seemed. Perhaps the talk of being Number two was true after all.

"You can't hack correctly?" Carlos spat still pissed at not knowing that important piece of information.

"You never asked." Mello shrugged.

"You never told! How are we meant to pass you off as Mathew? L learns about you, you are **dead.** Get it?" Mello bit his tongue at the insult to the man he near worshipped. "_**DEAD!**_ L is merciless! He is evil and vile and would kill any of us for his own gain! Get _that?_" Carlos snapped. Mello heard the satisfying beep that meant Carlos had to shut up. "...you win... for now..."

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L arrived and immediately asked to see Mello. He watched the blonde sitting in front of him wringing his hands slowly in worry, eyes darting around the room as if looking for something. "Why are you worried?" L asked in confusion, wondering if it was a teenager thing. L wouldn't know thinking back; he spent more time in a book then around other kids.

"I'm not." His eyes said a different story. L frowned biting his nail thinking. Mello would never lie to him, he almost worshipped L. The blonde looked at him nervously. "Uh... why am I here?"

"I wanted to ask Mello if he was nervous about the test tomorrow." Mello looked at him in horror, paling considerably.

"You... have the tests here?" He whispered. L watched him curl in on himself, hugging his knees as he rested his head on his arm. "I'll need new equipment..."

"...Mello didn't know? The tests are monthly." L narrowed his eyes as the blonde dressed in black just shuddered to himself. "What does Mello think the test will involve?"

"You arrange them, you'd know."

"..." L narrowed his eyes, this person was NOT Mello. He immediately thought up a plan. "How about you arrange a test for yourself and I'll provide the equipment you request for?" The blonde looked at him in confusion but nodded. "Good."

Mathew watched the man who said he was L, the notorious crime lord who controlled a third of the world, curiously as he ate sweets before offering him a bar of something dark. Mathew took it in confusion and under his watchful eyes turned it slowly to figure out what it was. In the end he opened it and sniffed it in confusion. He made a face of disgust. "Smells disgusting." Mathew dismissed.

"You don't like chocolate?"

"...Is it poisonous?" Mathew narrowed his eyes. "You poisoned it didn't you?" L flinched. He knew this person wasn't Mello but the accusation hurt. He'd like to think he was considered at least somewhat tactful.

"If I wanted to poison you I'd put it in something less obvious." L said calmly. Mathew blinked at him then the bar in his hand and bit it slowly. He made a face.

"Yuck. To sweet." Mathew put it down.

"Now about this test..."

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Matt watched Mathew as the blonde flicked through his note book quickly. Sometimes Matt wondered if Mathew had a photographic memory with the way he knew where everything was in it. "Mathew." The blonde looked up glaring, he was NOT happy L had forced him into this room in fear of Near's safety. "How'd things go with L?"

"I'm in this room, how'd you think?" Mathew sulked.

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Mello sat in the biology lab in confusion as to why Carlos had forced him to the back and had sat next to him calmly while frowning to himself. "Remember what I told you." He whispered in a voice that others took to be threatening but Mello knew was a warning. Mello nodded wondering what was so bad about the class no one looked like they wanted to be there except for the few who sat as far forward as possible with cans of drink laughing. Far watched them in distaste while next to them.

"When does it start?"

"When they find someone wounded enough to be useless but still living." Mello looked at Carlos in confusion. "Biology Mello. What do you do in biology?"

"Dissect... ions..." Mello paled considerably remembering the boy.

"_She wouldn't stop screaming."_

"I need to leave." Mello muttered starting to get up. Carlos forced him down.

"You will watch and you will learn." Carlos spat as the door opened and a teacher walked in carrying a person older then he was as if he was a hunk of meat, holding his only ankle. It was obvious from a glance that the other leg had been crudely sawn off. The person was crying and trying to struggle but the grip was firm. "This is also a warning." Carlos added as the boy was strapped down on a table that looked like it belonged in a mortuary. "This is what will happen if you lose your use to us." Mello watched as the boy gave up struggling as the teacher picked up a scalpel calmly.

"We all know we're in biology, so let's get started." His manner reminded Mello of Carlos when he first arrived. "Who knows where the intestines are?" The people at the front yelled the stomach together and the teacher nodded smiling kindly. "Very good." The teacher placed the blade on the stomach and the boy began to beg to be released again. "What would you do without a leg?" The teacher asked in faux concern, leaning down and touching where the leg had removed before the boy screamed in agony. He pulled away. "See? This'll help you."

"No..." The boy moaned in pain. "I'll kill you." He whispered hoarsely.

"Should've done it when you had the chance. Now, where do we start the dissection of the stomach?" Mello watched in growing disgust and horror as the teacher discussed what to do to open the stomach while keeping the victim alive. It was when he started Mello felt ill. By the time the guts were visible Mello turned away with his eyes closed. Carlos forced him to look.

"You have to watch." Carlos whispered, his voice clipped.

"Why... why is he...?"

"He's desensitising us to this. This is what we're going to do when we leave, in the name of L." Mello swayed as he was let go, forcing down the vomit as the teacher pulled out the intestines. Far made notes calmly, watching in mild interest. The people next to him, male and female chanted while stamping their feet like they were watching sport, drinking their drinks like it didn't bother them. They held a sick glint in their eyes as the boy died in front of them slowly in agony. He couldn't even scream anymore.

"In... the name of L?" Mello repeated the words like it was poison. Carlos nodded.

"This is the man who killed our families if we were smart enough to be noticed, who took in orphans for us to kill like sport and raises us to take over after him. Do you understand why we hide Mathew from him?" Mello nodded and Carlos let him look away at last, his point made. "This is your future if you can't get home. You're one of us now."


	9. Chapter 9

_"This is your future if you can't get home. You're one of us now."_

Mello repeated the words in his head trying to make sense of them. Or rather, find something to argue the point. Instead he just sat on the bed holding his head. Mathew didn't want to come back so as far as he'd figured out he wasn't going home. He was stuck here. Mello raised his head and began to think. A strength of this was that… well… Mello swore loudly. There was none. A bad thing was he was going to die if he didn't find a weapon. And to get any weapon he'd need to make up with the whore. Mello shuddered. The bitch probably wouldn't want anything to do with him after what he'd said. And Carlos had made a deal with Mello to help him get what was needed in the classes. Outside, as Carlos put it, he was fresh meat.

Speak of the devil, Carlos sauntered in and pulled Mello out by his arm ignoring Mello's yelp of pain as he tried to yank it out of his arm socket. "You've been missing out on allot so I figured you should have some fun!" Carlos laughed as he got Mello down the corridor and into another he hadn't seen before. _Great, I'm going to do something Carlos finds fun…_ Mello thought sarcastically remembering how the last thing Carlos found 'fun' involved him getting a possible concussion.

"Uh… I still feel sick from biology…."

"I know! That's why I'm doing this!"

"…what…?"

"You'll see." He laughed, sounding so much like Matt it hurt. For a moment Mello was with Matt back home, sneaking out late at night into town to go drinking while Matt complained about homework.

"Matt?" Mello whispered pausing. Carlos accidently pulled him so he fell over as Mello stopped walking with him.

"Idiot." Matt scolded coldly pulling him up by his collar. And Mello was back in the school of murder with Carlos. "Now come on, we'll be late! Oh and I talked to Mercy, she's no longer out for your head. Your dick is a different matter entirely." Carlos added brightly as they continued the game of 'drag Mello down the corridor'.

"Can you at least…" Mello was shut up by Carlos opening a door and throwing him in so he landed sprawled on the floor. Mello got up and blew a strand of hair out of his face angrily. "Bastard."

"Enjoy biology?" Far asked next to an open window, a pipe in his fingers delicately.

"No. You?"

"Yes I did. It was interesting to learn how the stomach works." Far chuckled breathing in the smoke from the pipe and blowing it out of his nose calmly, smiling dreamily. He held it out. "Smoke?" Mello eyed it wearily watching Far grin innocently.

"Fine." Mello sighed snatching and breathing in the burning weeds smoke harshly. He coughed. It tasted sweet, like chocolate. He instantly liked it as he sat next to Far and took in another mouthful, slower this time. His limbs felt heavy but he didn't feel the happiness Far did, perhaps that was a later effect…? Why was Far smirking evilly at him? "…What is it?" Mello asked taking a mouthful of smoke without realizing. It was like he was with chocolate; he didn't notice he was eating it at times. Far took the pipe out of Mello's arm and Mello blinked in confusion. He couldn't move his limbs; his arm fell despite his attempts to hold it up.

"We made it, numbs the limbs completely for a few hours but the victim remains fully conscious." Far chuckled getting up and staggering. As he walked he appeared to drag his legs slowly. "One mouthful makes you feel like you're wearing weights. A few makes them feel full of lead. And it isn't addictive." Far added happily. Mello just blinked at him trying to lift a finger. It barely twitched. "We got Mathew with it a few times. He knew, he just let it happen." Carlos walked over to Mello and picked him up, cradling the limp body in his arms gently.

"All you had to do was stop fighting." Carlos sighed as Mello realized they were in a bedroom. He'd missed it because of the drugs Far had been smoking and the taste of chocolate again. Mello almost chuckled mirthlessly. His love for sweets had made him keep smoking when he'd realized something was wrong. Carlos put him on the bed and began pulling off Mello's top gently, despite Mello's weak and hopeless protests. Mello couldn't find it in himself to panic though. Why…? "The drug has a calming effect and numbs pain. You won't feel anything painful until you can move." Carlos' smile was cruel as he pulled off Mello's trousers and underwear leaving him naked. "I'll be done by then. If Far is will be another matter."

Mello might not have been able to feel panic but he still felt the tear fall down his face.

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Mathew felt L's stare on him as he finished the list of things he needed and held it out. L almost felt his jaw drop at the precise list of weapons, wires, security and request of a business building and a hard drive to be hidden inside. "Will you need live ammo?" L asked curiously.

"If possible." Mathew nodded, almost gulping in fear as L bit his thumb rereading the list. "When can I have them for the test?" Get it over and done with, before L lost interest in him.

"Two days, maybe tomorrow." L calculated aloud. He had more than enough money for all of this. But why would he want these? Half the equipment was used by criminals and the stuff he wanted to hand could easily make a bomb. Mathew smiled to himself, this was how he'd become number one.

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Mello lay on the bed wide eyed and shaking, curl in a ball. Far sat next to him running a hand through his hair gently. Mello just wanted to be left alone in his pain and humiliation. Why had he trusted them? Why had he thought they were half decent humans? Mello sobbed and Far paused before continuing the motions as if it would help. Carlos had began smoking a different drug, chuckling every few minutes as he breathed out black smoke. Mello hated them.

"Do you feel better?" Far asked gently and Mello clenched his eyes shut. He'd been raped. Raped. Shit, how could this happen? Barely a week ago no one dared insult him and now they drugged and raped him. How could Far ask him if he 'felt better'? Was Far stupid? "You know, you coped a lot better than Mathew did on his first time, he kept crying throughout the whole thing begging us to stop. He tried to throw himself out his window. We caught him." Far's voice was smug suddenly. Mello didn't need to know what had happened afterwards when they'd caught him.

"Should have let him die." Mello whispered bitterly. Then he wouldn't be here. He wouldn't be so humiliated. At his words Far clenched his fist, dragging his nails through Mello's scalp so Mello grunted in pain. If he could've seen he would have seen Far's face contorted in an ugly fury.

"Why would we have let him die?"

"Would've been kinder." Mello regretted his words as Far lay next to him and hugged him possessively. "Why did you do this?" Mello almost begged as Far leant into his neck, breathing warm air on his flesh.

"Because you're like him before we broke him." Carlos giggled from the corner, black smoke escaping through his nose and raising in whirls into the air. "You're like him before we fucked up." Carlos laughed bitterly as Far breathed in sharply. Mello just clenched his eyes again as Far kissed his neck gently. "We fucked up." Carlos repeated quietly, looking unfocused into the air.

"Want more smoke to get rid of the pain?" Far offered kindly running his fingers through his hair again. Mello shook his head into the bed, he wanted to get rid of Far but when he moved a wave of pain ran up his back. Far shrugged and smiled at the blonde.

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Mathew watched L offer him the gun cautiously inside his room but Mathew shook his head. "More points if I get a gun inside the building." Mathew explained at L's curious glance. L wrinkled his nose in distaste as Mathew revealed more of the points system. 10 points for a kill. 5 points for a hostage situation. 50 points for a torture and murder. They even offered points for rape. L didn't even think of the rest which he had to abide by for Mathew's test. Mathew had memorized the points system at a young age before he even had to torture. But it made L feel sick. This was what he worked to get rid of, situations like this being forced on children. Mathew had introduced himself and L had instantly recognized the paranoid schizophrenia signs. He recognized the signs from BB before he'd ran away and became a murderer.

L felt a bitter taste at the reminder as he watched the blonde examine and clean his knife. If he didn't help Mathew now he'd follow the path BB had, but first he had to see how far he'd been trained. Mathew noticed L watching him intently and shuddered; cutting the thumb he'd been running along the blade to check sharpness.

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Mathew was dropped off outside the building at eleven PM dressed in a black jumper and slacks. The building was perfect, at least ten floors with glass windows and plenty of space. Mathew smirked to himself before opening the door and walking in calmly, hand curled around the blade in his pocket. On camera L watched something he hoped would be bloodless. He watched Mathew push the back pack further up his shoulder as he stepped into the elevator.


	10. Chapter 10

Mathew licked his lips at the upcoming bloodbath before entering the elevator, pushing the button for the second floor. The office the hard drive would be in was hidden if he was right so part of the test was to find it while making sure no one saw his face. Mathew snorted; he'd kill anyone he saw because he didn't know what they'd _seen._ He lost points if he left anyone who could describe his face or features. The doors opened and immediately a gun was pointed at his head. Mathew sighed, looks like they were going easy on him if they hadn't killed immediately. Mathew held up his hand and stepped out calmly. "I surrender." Mathew said smiling brightly. The guard lowered his gun slowly and Mathew lunged, the knife in the man's chin before he could blink.

Mathew pulled out the knife with a loud squelch and flinched when the blood squirted on him from the artery of the man's throat. "Damn." Mathew muttered picking up the gun. He frowned checking the ammo. "I said live, not blanks." Mathew cursed angrily leaning down and plucking the headphone from the man's ear and putting it on. "I have a gun with live ammo, us it or I _will_ shoot you." Mathew warned ignoring the answers as he removed it and stomped on it. "And now I can kill you properly." Mathew added to himself smirking.

Around the building the men changed the ammo to live, not realising they'd sealed their fates.

Mathew wandered down the corridor and slide into the bathroom, washing the blood off his flesh thoroughly before looking at himself in the mirror. "500 points to remain in first place." Mathew told himself. "You've earned 30. Hurry up." Mathew pulled out a small box and checked his watch before taking the two green pills with water from the bathroom tap. He'd stolen the risperidone from the nurse (they were _very_ conveniently placed, perhaps they wanted him to steal them...) and had been taking them regularly. He felt allot better after them.

"Torture seems to be the only way then. That or 50 murders." Mathew continued. "10 times torture and murder or 5 rapes." Mathew shuddered. He never raped, it brought back to many memories drugged and helpless as Carlos and Far had their way with him and then acted like it'd never happened, holding him captive when he attempted suicide until he gave up hope and ran out of tears. He shook his head. "No, I have to torture someone." Mathew thought aloud like it was nothing. And it was nothing. "100 hostage situations. 25 bombs." Mathew sighed looking at the gun he'd taken, he could bludgeon with it at least. "Currently 20 for the stolen gun, 10 for murder."

Mathew shook his head and left the room, keeping the gun in hand.

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The moment Mello could walk he left, limping defiantly as Far walked next to him telling him to either stop or accept help. Mello didn't trust him. He never would again if he could help it. Carlos had remained behind a giggling heap in the temporary euphoria that Far had faked to convince Mello to smoke the drug. Far looked worried about Mello though, constantly asking if he was ok or needed to rest. Mello wanted to kill him, regretting he'd left behind the knife he'd led a child to be killed for. Mello gritted his teeth certain he was bleeding. He had to find the kitchen to eat. He'd found the bathroom out of luck and could use them later, if he found a shower that hadn't been rigged with wires. The students here would do anything to get rid of the competition.

Far stopped Mello with a hand on his shoulder, noting Mello's flinch at the contact. "Why are you so different from Mathew?" He wondered aloud, pinning Mello to the wall. Mello noticed a red stain on his trousers and noted dully, yes he was bleeding. Far noticed as well but didn't comment.

"Don't worry, another month here and I'll be ready to hang myself." Mello's words hit where he'd hoped, Far flinched. "What is wrong with you? You rape me then you act like you give a fuck what I think! You burned my hand and tried to ripe my nails off!" Mello spat. Far looked to the side nervously for the first time.

"How else would you, or Mathew, notice me? Before we started attacking him Mathew didn't notice anyone in the school, in fact he was more violent than us. He aims for 500 points in every test and gets it. The average score on the test is 450." Mello didn't understand the scoring of the tests but he didn't care. "What else was I meant to do? If I'd waited for him to fall for me he could've died! I had to take him before someone else did! Everyone here knows he's mine now! MINE!" Far snapped. Mello spat.

"So you pimped him out to Carlos? I don't buy it. If you cared that much you would've been the first or you would've protested. If you cared you would've had the decency to ask! YOU RAPED ME!" Mello screeched, his walls finally breaking. "YOU FUCKING RAPED ME YOU SON OF A BITCH! SO WHAT, I'M YOUR PROPERTY NOW? FUCK YOU!" Mello slapped him and Far punched him in reply, getting the upper hand as Mello felt the pain run up his body again.

"You will be mine if you know what's good for you." Far snarled. "Mathew did and we protected him. Only we hurt him. We attacked those that hurt him." Mello glared.

"So, what? You have a crush on the blonde coward?" Far let out a chocked laugh at Mello's cold comment.

"Didn't you hear me? Mathew's more sadistic then me and Carlos! Mathew just knows how to hide it."

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Mathew had taken out another guard, a knife to the arm followed by a reversed hanging with his screams broadcast over the headpieces. Mathew smirked considering whether to leave him to bleed out or to slice his throat in an act of mercy. In the end he opted to cutting him more so he bleed out quicker while hanging on his dislocated arms. Mathew hummed as he walked through the hall, holding the loaded gun with pride at his accomplishment. "50 plus 30 equals 80 points. 420 to go." Mathew muttered ducking behind a pot to avoid the guards spotting him as they talked. Obviously newbies.

"I'm telling you, this kid isn't sane. They're saying he hanged James by his arms." One said loudly. The other nodded.

"I don't like this, L said it'd be a simple job. Not dealing with a second BB." Mathew smirked as one pulled off his helmet and put it on the side. "I'm out, nothing I'm paid can make me do this." Mathew watched the other turn away and Mathew immediately sprinted, pointing the gun at the unmasked man's head before he could react.

"Don't know who BB is but he sounds fun." Mathew smiled sweetly as the man tensed. "Drop the mask and gun, I don't like unnecessary killing." Mathew lied easily. Plus 5 and 10 and 10. Mathew bit his lip. 100? 110? He'd lost track already. It'd been so long since his last test. He was rusty, Mathew noted frowning. He'd just say 100 and go with it.

"Ok kid, just... just put down the gun..." The guard stammered feeling the barrel on his neck. Mathew couldn't stop the smirk.

"Gun and mask. Down." Mathew ordered. This was what had been stolen from him. Power. How he missed it. He watched the other person take of the mask and put in on the floor slowly.

"Ok, I obeyed. Now put down the..."

"I lied." Mathew pulled the trigger twice.

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"Who is this kid?" Matt watched Mathew kill the two men coldly.

"105 points." L noted calmly, something was wrong with this situation. Or perhaps it was because someone who resembled his heir was killing without restraint. He wasn't even trying to end the test. Mathew looked at the camera and waved smiling. Matt drew in a breath. "He's been trained better than I thought." L admitted. "It'll be hard to rehabilitate him."

"Rehabilitate? We need to find Mello not help this psycho!" Matt snapped.

"Mello is probably where Mathew used to be, a school for criminals. He'll be fine." L tried to reassure.

"Where he _used_ to be? Look what they did to that kid!" Matt jabbed a finger at the screen. "If they're all like him, someone will probably kill Mello!"

"What can I do Matt? Only Mathew knows where he is and when I asked he kept saying 'inside the mirror on the third floor with the cracks'. Obviously a hallucination from when he was off his medicine." L snapped and Matt faltered. L was right, only Mathew knew where Mello was. "...I did a DNA test on Mathew." L added. Matt looked at L in shock. "His DNA is almost identical to Mello's."

"What?" Matt gasped. "Could he be related to him?" L shrugged.

"There was no record of Mello's birth so it's possible he could have siblings. If so Mathew could be Mello's brother or twin." Matt looked at the blonde who was wandering around an office going through the files calmly.

"I don't think Mello would be happy if he knew."

"Obviously."

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"Get off me!" Mello shoved Far and opted to lean against the door to key in the code to get to his bedroom. Far was still trying to help him, why Mello didn't know.

Far watched the blonde struggle to get the right code and fumed. He tried to help Mello and he was ignored. Typical, just like Mathew. If that's the case though, perhaps he should treat Mello like Mathew. Obviously trying friendship didn't work. Mello didn't understand how this world worked. He wasn't trying to understand how it worked. Mello finally succeeded and tried to ignore Far follow him into his bedroom. "Look, you've raped me. Can you just... fuck off for now?" Mello pleaded sitting down and flinching.

Far raised an eyebrow and walked so he was right in front of Mello, glaring. "I tried to be your friend, I guess this works better." Far whispered. Mello shivered at the tone before Far pinned Mello to the bed and began punching furiously.

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Mathew got bored of shooting the people at around 200 points, bored of torture when he reached 350 and just wandered up to the main office instead, licking the part of his arm where the bullet had grazed him. He'd wiped it clean in another bathroom but other than that it still bleed. Mathew was slightly past caring instead trying to find the hard drive he needed. Then he'd go back to killing for the points.

He shot a guard as he walked past him unnoticed, the bullet going right through the bones in his neck to his satisfaction. Mathew pulled open the door and paused. "Hhmm..." He noticed the tomographic detector and sighed. Motion detectors, of course. Mathew pulled out a large, tear shaped device and pushed the button on it, barely flinching at the high pitch squeal that it released for a few seconds. He stepped forward and nothing happened. "Deactivated." Mathew told himself and began to go through the drawers. He pulled out the hard drive and put it in his pocket. He was about to leave when he heard crackling from a hidden speaker. He left the room shrugging and pulling out the gun again.

There were more people here he had to get rid of. 500 points. He was at 360.

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L threw something against a wall furiously, aware of Matt staring in horror. Mathew had disabled the electronics, including the speaker so L couldn't tell him the test was over. On screen he'd cut someone's leg tendons, even if they did end the test the guard he'd hired wouldn't walk again. He turned in time to see Mathew slice the throat. Correction, he was already dead.

"Mathew should know the test's over, so why is he still killing?" Matt wondered aloud.

"In case anyone saw him." L spat out. "It's a common thing criminals do, kill the eye witnesses. And he's only on 410 points, he wants 500 at least." It was all Mathew spoke about on screen, how close he was to the 500 mark and how to best reach it. It was sickening, and he'd allowed it.

Matt couldn't take it anymore, he walked out.

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Mello spat out the blood as Far finally finished the beating sitting on the bed next to him with calmly crossed arms and a spiteful air around him. "You should've let me help you." Far said sulkily when Mello tried to glare and just flinched at the pain that now covered his body.

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Carlos wandered the school, his pipe having run out sadly. He didn't feel like classes and all the kids were hiding. Carlos stepped over a corpse that looked like it'd been sawn in half. Correction, the living were hiding. As usual. Carlos hummed chewing the end of the pipe calmly in thought. What more did he expect? It was always the same in this school, living hide or living fight and die. Carlos chuckled. And the dead were disposed in the furnace and used for heating. As life should be.

He passed the mirror and paused. This was where Mello had said he'd come from, the other side. Carlos touched the smooth surface thoughtfully. He had no reason really to doubt him. Carlos frowned. Why had they raped him? To be honest Carlos didn't really care about what he'd done but it was a good question Mello had offered.

He looked at the reflection and jumped, pipe falling as he saw a red haired version of himself staring at him. "Who're you?" Carlos demanded rudely, jabbing a finger at him.

"Matt." The red head said, if his lip reading skills were up to scratch. Doubtful, Carlos hadn't practised in months. "Where's Mello?" Carlos blinked, ok perhaps he was better then he'd thought. He pointed down the corridor and turned seeing a little kid watching in confusion.

"What're you looking at?" Carlos snapped pulling out his knife. "Get lost!" The kid edged closer and Carlos looked at Matt. "One minute." He smiled charmingly at the confused red head before looking at the child. "Hope, I told you to go away!" The future Lady of the Night tilted her head in confusion.

"Mercy said she wanted to talk to Mello about something." Hope tried to pout cutely but it came out as a grimace. She was still being trained.

"I will kill you if you don't walk away. Right now."

"But I need to find this Mello guy!" She protested. Carlos groaned.

"Look, I don't have time for this or Mercy to be pissed at me killing you. Fuck off." The child stood firm and Carlos waved the knife threateningly. She still didn't move. "You asked for this." He sighed and thrust the knife in her chest before pulling it down so her intestines were visible. He turned away from the body calmly to the terrified red head in the mirror. "Sorry you had to see that, where were we?" Carlos asked.

"M... Mello..." Matt looked slightly green. Carlos tapped the mirror teasingly. "Mello's... in there..." Matt touched the mirror in disbelief and felt a tug pull him forward. He sat up and looked around in shock the realised his foot was in the blood puddle surrounding the girl. He looked back to see Carlos watching smugly, pipe between his lips as he watched.

"Let me out!" Matt yelled hitting the wall between his world and this one.

"Five days." Carlos removed the pipe. "I'll have Mathew out in five days. Meet me here then with Mello, or I'll take your place here." Matt made a face of understanding. He couldn't hurt Mathew, he couldn't hurt anyone seriously, but Carlos could. Mathew would be forced back if Carlos was there.

Matt nodded. "Great, find Far and tell him that Carlos is retrieving Mathew. Oh, and be careful around Mello." Carlos' smirk grew. "He's a bit... delicate... at the moment." Matt blinked in confusion and Carlos was gone.

"Uh... what?"

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**9shadowcat9; Yes, I know it sucks. - -# I am not happy with it but I can't think of a single way to improve it so sorry, I'm stuck. Reviews help you know.**

**PS; Thanks Fairylust you are awesome! :D**


	11. Chapter 11

Matt wondered the corridors carelessly with a cigarette hanging out of his lips, hands thrown into his pockets. So Carlos was going to retrieve the blonde imposter and he'd go back with Mello? That worked perfectly for the red head provided Carlos wasn't lying to him, nothing he did could've helped. His last attempts to help had caused him to start having hallucinations in fact. He breathed in the acidic smoke and breathed out slowly, it helped him calm down after the whole 'murder' thing. He'd thought it'd be bad here but damn, that guy who'd looked like him hadn't even blinked.

Or perhaps he was in shock. That seemed more likely at the mo.

Yeah, definitely shock.

Now to find Mello... HOLY SHIT THAT'S A GUN!

Matt turned and ran from the Dove look alike who had been sitting in the corridor cleaning out her pistol. She blinked after him. "Did Carlos dye his hair again...?" she wondered aloud. She still remembered when he'd dyed it green for a laugh. Green and red went very well together, now he'd just dyed his hair so it looked like blood... "Gotta love Carlos' style." Mercy chuckled to herself.

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Carlos found himself in a brightly lit school and snorted to himself. No wonder Mathew had stayed, it seemed nice. Too bad. Carlos walked in a random direction and pulled his goggles over his face. He'd just say he'd dyed his hair if asked. The problem was pulling off the red haired idiot he'd saw for five days. According to Mello, Matt was happy-go-lucky (whatever _that_ was) who couldn't hurt a fly. Basically - he was pathetic. Carlos chuckled at that thought opening a window and jumping out so he landed in a tree. Mathew could wait while Carlos enjoyed his first time outside in over three years.

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Matt sprinted to the bedrooms but was stopped by his code not working. "Why won't you open?" Matt snapped trying to force the door handle as someone looked out hearing his yelling. The black haired kid raised an eye brow. "Hey! Let me in!" the kid, who looked like Near, raised an eye brow before shrugging and obeying. "Near?"

"...I'm going to guess; you're Matt, Carlos is in your world, no one's explained anything and you have no weapon." He summarized coldly.

"Yeah." Matt sighed grinning sheepishly. "Could you help a guy out?" Near raised his eye brow harder but nodded slowly, beckoning him into a different room.

"I'll help." He said smiling creepily. "For a price." He added locking the door behind him. Matt grinned wider, ignoring the kid's words purposefully. If he was like Mathew he'd be fine (after all, Mathew only really killed during tests). While his back was turned Far pulled out some duct tape and a knife. He paused and put the knife away, pulling out a bamboo cane. He'd always wanted to see how sensitive the soles of people's feet were to pain. Apparently it really hurt. He turned while Matt was still talking about how freaked out he was after being dragged through a mirror.

Far sighed to himself. Mello was a sarcastic bastard and Matt talked too much, perhaps he'd just tie him up and gag him. He dumped the stuff to the side, Matt STILL not noticing Far's growing annoyance. "Do you _ever_ shut up?" Far snapped at last.

"I got told I should, but Mell's never talks so I have to fill his side of the conversation allot." Matt laughed. Far twitched. "So who are you? Are you friends with Mathew? He always seems scared of this guy named Carlos who looked like me. Then again, I think he's scared his own shadow will kill him." Matt smiled widely.

"...In a sense, now sit down." Far pointed at the chair and Matt obeyed happily, stretching his arms in the air then gasped in pain and pleasure as the bones clicked.

"So what's school like here? I thought it was a school for criminals the way Mathew acted but..." Matt continued talking and Far felt the unbelievably appealing urge to bash his head into a wall. Instead he pulled two sets of handcuffs out of a drawer and wandered over to Matt glaring. "What're you...?" Matt started to feel nervous as he attached them to Matt's wrists and then to the chair. Matt blinked in confusion then at Far who held up the duct tape glaring. "Uh... Near?"

"The name's Far brat." Far snapped placing the end of the duct tape on the edge of Matt's mouth while placing a hand under his chin to keep his fucking mouth _shut._ He rolled the tape around Matt's head quickly so there were at LEAST five layers over his mouth. "Now stop talking." Far ordered. Matt glared at him; trying to look as threatening as possible while helplessly tied to a chair... it didn't work. Far held up the cane and Matt rolled his eyes. That is until Far forced his hands palms up and taped them that way. Two ways to keep Matt trapped, Far thought gleefully listening to the muffled yelps of pain as he brought down the cane cruelly.

"You should've shut up!" Far screamed swinging the cane so it hit Matt's cheek and split the flesh. Matt nearly screamed at the feeling. "SHUT UP! SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP!" Far screeched bringing the cane down on his palms with every word. Matt screamed into the gag and looked at him confused and scared by Far now freaked out himself. He felt kinda bad for wanting to send Mathew back here. Matt's 'why?' was muffled by the tape and Far pinched Matt's nose, a mad glint in his eyes. Matt's eyes widened as he struggled to breath, finally trying seriously to escape his bonds, legs flailing but not hitting Far due to the black haired boy standing to the side. "Stop talking and I'll let go." Far whispered calmly into his ear. Matt nodded quickly, seeing to many spots for comfort. Far let go and Matt breathed in deep through his nose.

"Good, now you're quiet I need to get something." He smirked as blood escaped the cut and began dripping off his chin slowly. "Don't go anywhere." Far sang walking out. As soon as he was outside he groaned and rested his head against a wall. Why couldn't these idiots just stay in their own world? At least then his friend(s) would still be here. Should he count Mathew in that list...?

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Mello had heard the door open and Far walk in glaring. He didn't even look at him, still lying on his bed in the only act of defiance he could do. "...Matt's here." Far said. Mello immediately sat up in both hope and horror before flinching in pain. Immediately Far's face darkened at how Mello was willing to experience pain for the red head. Why? He was annoying, never shut up... kind, slightly amusing... Far sighed at this trail of thought and focused on watching Mello struggle out of bed, fall on the floor and force himself to stand on shaking legs.

"Where?" Mello almost begged. Far rolled his eyes. "Please..."

"Next door, he's in the seat we used when we burned your hand and threatened to de-nail you." Far pointed as the blonde paled. "Well?" Mello limped to the door and almost screamed when Far grabbed his arm. "Try to release him and I _will_ de-nail you." Far threatened. Mello nodded rapidly, his will to fight literally beaten out of him by now. Far released him coldly and stormed away, leaving Mello staggering to find Matt who was cursing himself. Mello was right; he did take things to lightly. He looked at his restrained arms. _Way_ too lightly.

Matt looked up as soon as the door opened and his mood brightened seeing Mello walk in leaning on the wall. "Matt..." Mello muttered wide eyed. "Or are you Carlos?" Mello added his eyes going dull again. "Stop it..." Matt shook his head pulling at the cuffs and tape that, combined, stopped his escape. "But if you're Matt why would Far gag you?" Matt tried to voice 'couldn't shut up' bitterly and Mello sat, sliding down the wall bitterly. "Now all we need is Near." Mello chuckled. Matt slumped, Mello obviously wasn't getting him out of here anytime soon.

Far wondered in a few minutes later carrying two plates of food and shoved one into Mello's hands coldly, sitting next to him and eating with his hands sloppily. Mello glanced at him. "No forks and knives. The spoons were stuck in the wall." Far said between handfuls of an unidentified meat. Mello tried some and recognised it as dry chicken bitterly. Another reminder from home.

Far ignored Mello glancing at Matt as he ate coldly. Matt was trying to slip his aching hands out of the tape unsuccessfully, even if he succeeded the handcuffs still held firm. Far finished the same time Mello did and pounced on the blonde, tackling him to the floor and grabbing a random rope to tie his wrists together, adding a rope to his neck so he couldn't struggle without nearly strangling himself. He ignored Mello's screams as he worked, knowing they were after affects of the rape. Mello felt his face almost burning with shame as Far pulled away, screaming just because of someone touching him... how pathetic.

"Your hair's to long." Far mused aloud as he pulled a strand of hair thoughtfully. Mello tensed as Far pulled out his knife and flicked it open. "Stay still." Mello tried to struggle the moment Far grabbed his hair in a fist and pulled him into a sitting position so he could cut it easier. Far pulled the rope around Mello's neck furiously, smirking when Mello choked. "Stop or you'll choke." Far almost sounded worried, Mello thought furiously. Far merely began to cut his hair with the knife, humming to himself as the blonde hair fell. He'd missed controlling Mathew.

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Carlos watched from afar. No one had noticed him for some reason; he'd hunted down Matt's bedroom and changed into his clothes so his only visible difference was his hair, easily passed off as dyed when he complained to the people that asked about the colour being wrong and the goggles. He'd kept his old ones since he needed them to read. Now he watched Mathew talking to the Far lookalike. "I heard Mathew passed his test." The Far lookalike said in a visible but weak attempt to be social. Mathew smiled brightly and Carlos snarled to himself. Mathew _knew_ he wasn't meant to... Carlos shook himself. Now was not the time.

Instead he watched the normally shy, inverted blonde openly smile at Far 2 and talk about the test gleefully. Even joke about one or two of the murders there! Carlos couldn't figure out what was so great about the school that Mathew benefitted so much from it! After all, the rest of the students thrived, so why not Mathew? Carlos shrugged to himself dismissively at those thoughts. He then watched the white haired child pull out something and place it in Mathew's hands; a blue beaded rosary. How pretty, Carlos walked back to the bedroom to plan, biting his nail as he thought and planned.


	12. Chapter 12

Mathew fell into the bedroom laughing, noticing Matt smoking while he sat on the window deep in thought. Mathew paused before smiling wider. Around his neck hung the blue beaded rosary, his first gift in years (not including knives or broken bones) and it had been given to him by Near. It was almost unreal. Mathew held it between two fingers as he smiled, running a finger over the smooth metal part of him still not believing his luck.

"...Hi Matt..." Mathew said uncertainly. Why was Matt's hair a different colour...? Could it be...? No. Mathew threw away the thought before he began to panic. Perhaps Matt was like Carlos in enjoying too dye his hair every few months? Mathew hoped so... "What are you looking at?"

"A bird." He muttered still looking out. "Come see." The voice was smooth and Mathew crept closer, a feeling he didn't recognise building inside his chest. "Look." He pointed outside as Mathew got close enough. He got off the ledge so Mathew could get a closer look. But when he looked out there was no bird.

"Where...?" Mathew was afraid he realised turning. He froze seeing Matt smirking down on him with a metal pipe perched in his fingers. He only used it when planning something, Mathew remembered backing up to be stopped by the window sill. "No... Carlos..." Please let it be a hallucination...

"Got it in one." Carlos chuckled putting the pipe down on the side. Mathew couldn't scream, the sound caught in his throat as Carlos pinned him to the window sill, placing a hand on Mathew's neck and pushing so Mathew was leant over the edge precariously. "No last words?" Carlos mocked, grabbing Mathew's collar and using that to stop Mathew falling. Luckily for Mathew he held no grudges when the blonde began to claw at his arm to stop himself falling, leaving small rivers of blood along the flesh.

"Please Carlos!" Mathew begged. "Help!"

"Why help? I'm the one who put you _in_ this situation." Carlos reminded, lowering Mathew so he was further off the edge. Mathew didn't notice Carlos loose his grip, luckily (for them both) Carlos grabbed the rosary (even more lucky it held). "Does your God care now?" Carlos sang viciously, mentally relieved Mathew hadn't died. Mathew just kept chanting 'no' as if it would help. Soon it changed to 'just a hallucination'. Carlos snarled knowing he couldn't hurt the fucking blonde at that moment in time... unless... Carlos looked down, ignoring Mathew's scream of panic at being accidently lowered and Carlos grabbed his ankle to stop him falling, and pouted. Nothing underneath to drop him in.

At least at the school there was a trash heap that cushioned Mathew's fall...

Coming out of his thoughts he saw the blonde was crying. Pathetic. Carlos thought back to Mello, how he fought back when he knew he'd win, how he was like Mathew before they'd broken him. It was like an addiction, causing pain. He couldn't stop anymore. He met the blonde's eyes. "Ready to come back?" Carlos asked.

"Just let me die!" Mathew screeched. Carlos physically froze for a moment before chuckling quietly. Why let his favourite toy? "Why won't you just let me die?"

"Because you're my toy. It's like when you break a toy, you just keep playing with it till you can't play with it any more. Right?" Carlos smiled a childish smile and Mathew tried to pull himself up desperately, not willing to wait for the rosary to break.

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L had heard screaming and ran to Matt's room where the source was. He threw open the door in time to see Matt pull Mathew in quickly. "He tried to throw himself out..." Matt panted, ignoring the curled up and whimpering blonde at his feet. "He kept calling me Carlos..."

"I see. Mathew, have you been taking your medicine?" Mathew looked at him desperately.

"He's Carlos!" Mathew pointed at Matt. "Don't you see the brown hair? The blue eyes?" L looked at Matt with his... odd hair.

"Matt has brown hair."

"Figured with everything going on I'd try something new." Matt chuckled fingering a strand. "I think it suits me."

"I liked Matt with red hair." Matt was awkwardly silent.

"After everything I've seen... it... it reminded me to much of blood..." Matt whispered in shame. Mathew tried to stand and slumped, balance still gone from the incident with the window.

"I see, perhaps a different colour though? Brown appears to be a trigger for Mathew."

"How about Blue? When I find it..." Matt added uncertainly. L nodded smiling.

"Will Matt take Mathew to the nurse?" Mathew looked ready to scream at L's offer as Matt nodded smiling brightly. With that L left, happy with how things were going.

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"Ugh, I hate smiling."Carlos groaned in annoyance running a hand through his hair nonchalantly. Mathew crawled into a corner slowly, already regressing. In his mind the walls were damp and covered with blood, the room dark and unwelcoming. Carlos watched this in mild interest, perhaps he'd broken Mathew more then they'd thought. He'd have to test this when he got home. "Now where's the nurses office?" Carlos added unkindly pulling the blonde to his feet and dragging him out the room.

"Let me go!" Mathew snapped tugging before freezing, paling at his words. He'd DEFINATELY been in this world to long if he was mouthing off to Carlos of all people. Mathew pointed his hand shaking and Carlos took just pulled him along, not bothering to hit him _yet_. He couldn't expect Mathew to be fully obedient at this time after all. It had been around a week since he'd disappeared. At least that's what Carlos told himself. Mathew was pulled along the corridor before grabbing a metal pole that he'd spotted as they approached the staircase. Mathew gulped as they reached it and he swung, the pole missing his target and Carlos turned sharply to eye Mathew who, rightfully, looked terrified.

"What was that?" Carlos' voice was like silk.

"...eep..."

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Mello stared at the mirror Far happily held up, at his hair that was now a longer blonde version of Matt's. He hated it. Mello hated what had been done to his poor, perfect hair at the hands of Far. And Far seemed proud of this, still having not untied him or Matt. "Uh... thanks?" Mello managed, biting down the furious complaints he knew would lead to either another round with Far's lighter or pliers if he didn't feel merciful. Far smirked and began to untie the rope binding Mello tightly, there was no need anymore after all.

Matt's hide his glare the moment Far looked at him coldly. Far knew he had to keep control now, two against one were not favourable odds. "Will you behave?" Far asked. Matt nodded quickly. "Will you shut the fuck _up_?" Matt shrugged, not making any promises. That Far gave him some respect for and _finally_ released him from the chair. Matt opened his mouth to thank him. "Talk and I tie you up again." Matt just smiled brightly at him and Far groaned. "I miss Carlos..." Stupid to happy red head... And he was going to need to room with one of them... Shit. "Mello, you're in here. Carlos lookalike is taking yours."

Mello didn't bother arguing to Matt's horror. What had the black haired brat _done_ to him?

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Carlos ducked the pipe as Mathew re-swung, pulling out a knife as he fell onto his knees in a pouncing position. Silly blonde... Carlos sighed. Now he had to kill him. "Well, there go my plans." Carlos groaned. Mathew paused.

"Plans?"

"Yeah, plans. Did you _really_ think I left you alive for the heck of it?" Carlos asked loudly in disbelief.

"...sorta..." Curiosity stopped Mathew attacking again.

"Please. While you're ranked first only you are tested severely to make sure you're a suitable heir. Meanwhile, I'm backup and _not_ tested. I left you alive because when you become L's heir at 18 you won't be able to get your medicine outside of school. That means L will realise you're schizophrenic and kill you. When you die, I become heir as number 2." Carlos explained coldly. Mathew felt his heart freeze. He knew Carlos hadn't cared but still... "My only regret with breaking you is the amount of times you attempted suicide." Carlos added with a bark of laughter. Mathew bit his lip and swung, the pole hitting Carlos' side and sending him falling down the stairs wide eyed. Before he hit the bottom he saw a sad smile on Mathew's lips.

He was to out of it to notice someone with white hair stop Mathew bashing his skull in with the pipe.

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"Try to kill me." Far ordered Mello. The still pissed blonde just stared.

"What?"

"Attack to kill." Far reworded wondering again if Mello was the opposite to Mathew in terms of intelligence.

"I repeat; What?"

"Ok, what part of 'try to kill me' don't you get?" Far snapped.

"The 'try to kill' part. Generally you're trying to kill me." Mello felt Matt watching in interest. The red head had taken Far surprisingly will, immediately compromising with Far to not attack if Far stopped attacking him. Far just shrugged so Mello was certain Far didn't consider it a proper deal. Matt was quite content with that.

"Matt! Try to kill me!" Far ordered.

"..." Matt was _**not**_ getting tied to the chair again.

"...You can talk now, just don't go overboard..."

"Why?"

"Oh for the love of... Fine. Don't, but you have to do something for me." Far threw open the door and pointed. "Move it!"

"Ok." Matt shrugged getting up. Mello grabbed him.

"It seriously isn't safe." Mello warned. Far raised an eye brow and pulled out his knife. "...On second thought..." Mello forced Matt to quickly follow to Far's annoyance. Now he couldn't attack him... Far shook his head quickly hacking the code to the door and led them to the ground floor. Mello tensed, all classes were on the second or above. Even in the original Wammy's they rarely ventured to this part, unless it was for the back door.

"Where are we?" Matt wondered aloud watching a spider make a web. "Mell's! Isn't it cute?" Matt said childishly happy as he pointed at it. Far picked up a pipe and squished it without blinking. "...hey!"

"It was a black widow. Idiot." Far sighed continuing.

"But don't they live in Africa and places like that?" Matt asked. Far had to pause to think.

"No, they live in the north, mostly in France and Germany. L brought them over to make sure we watched our surroundings more." Far sneered. "10 kids died before they realised about them, now everyone carries anti-venom."

"I don't." Mello pointed out.

"You smoked it, the main side affect is paralysis." Far looked at the horrified Mello. "It's perfectly harmless, never killed anyone."

"You... used anti-venom to... rape me?"

"Pretty much."

"Wait, Rape?" Matt repeated in horror.

"Yeah, me and Carlos. And don't attack until you can attack to kill." Far added seeing Matt ready to lunge at him. "I can and will kill you if you try it." Matt backed down, knowing he had to be there for Mello who wasn't meeting his eyes. "If it helps we have drugs that would've been better to paralyse you but with worse side effects." Far added. Mello snarled but refused to look up. Far chuckled. "We're nearly there." He added turning a corner.

"Far, how rare it is to see you here." The grey haired man smiled warmly at him, shaking Far's hand with respect. "Haven't seen you since you passed the test perfectly in record time." He added, his wrinkled face was kind.

"Mathew's regressed again and Carlos hit his head. Both are now refusing to kill." Far explained coldly, pointing at them. "I know this is an odd request but..."

"Don't worry, this isn't the first time. Is it Mathew?" He looked at the blonde. "I see Far finally got his hands on your hair." He added with a loud laugh standing up from his brightly lit desk. Mello bit his lip, refusing to complain. "Ah well, I trust you remember the rules? I can't put you in with the seven year olds so you'll have to put up with it being just you." He added taking a shiny key off a hook and limping to another door, unlocking it and opening it. Mello felt a cold breeze coming from the other side and gasped. It led to outside.

"Neither remember a thing." Far sighed regretfully. "I think they lost their knives as well." The man clicked his tongue.

"Well, that's bad. Knives are in the top drawer. Guns middle and alternative weapons bottom drawer." Far pulled out two (loaded, hopefully) pistols, four refills and two knives. He split them between the two and shoved them to the door. He looked... worried?

"Okay, rules. Since you two got amnesia, (how many times now Mathew, he added warmly to Mello), I'll explain. Every half an hour for ten hours I'll send someone into the maze. They will aim to kill you. You have half an hour to kill them or they will team up and work together to find and kill you. You have to find and kill them first. For every kill in there you get 10 points added to your current score." The man looked at Mello and Matt evenly. "Do you understand? This is mandatory if Far is telling the truth and since I'm inclined to believe him you have no choice."

Mello gulped silently, knowing this man could easily kill them. He wouldn't be hired if he was harmless. "I recommend aiming for arteries and the head if you want a quick kill. No points here for torture. Now in. You have five minutes to hide."

"Is he serious?" Matt whispered shaking.

"Perfectly." Far drawled. Mello looked at Matt sadly, taking his hand and gently pulling him in. The door locked behind them with a loud click leaving them standing at the beginning of a bush maze in what looked like a large glass dome with metal running through the glass to prevent escape. Mello wondered slightly what it would be like in summer. He breathed in the stale air, savouring the feeling.

"Mell's... what's going on?"

"We're being trained to kill." Mello answered coldly. "That's the rule here, kill or be killed."

"But that means..."

"In half an hour we'll be either murders, or dead." Mello reasoned as a bell rang chillingly signalling the end of the five minutes.

_The chase was on._


	13. Chapter 13

They'd barely stepped away from the door when Matt saw the reflection of light on metal and dragged Mello down as they ducked. It was this that stopped the bullet hitting Mello's skull. Mello fired the pistol coldly in that general direction without thinking and blinked hearing someone yell in pain. But they could be faking... "Matt, I don't know about you but I'd rather be a murderer then dead." Mello muttered. Matt nodded quickly, part of him in shock this was happening. It was too easy to ignore when it's only in words.

"Agreed." Matt said wide eyed as Mello stood and aimed the gun at the screaming.

"Good, watch my back. This isn't my first kill." Matt's eyes stared at Mello as he appeared to age with the confession. Not that Matt was surprised, it seemed rather difficult to not kill in this world. Or was it just the school that caused that? Either way he should've guessed Mello had murdered someone.

"It was in self defence though... right?" Matt smiled at Mello, the smile not reaching his eyes.

"I wish." Mello turned the corner and seeing the person holding their leg that was spurting blood as they yelled in pain, aimed the gun at their head and pulled the trigger, feeling a mix of blood and brain splatter on him as the bullet hit. "We have roughly 25 minutes to hide." Mello said sharply as Matt stared in horror. "Matt, this is nothing compared to biology." Mello rolled his eyes. Apparently the desensitisation worked better then he'd thought. So it _wasn't_ just bloodlust from L.

"You mean dissecting frogs caused... this!"

"Uh... more like watching the teacher dissect someone for losing their leg." Mello looked ill just thinking of the lesson. "They were alive."

"That's a vivisection." Matt corrected.

"I was watching a kid having his guts ripped out, think I care about wording?" Mello snapped. "Twenty minutes Matt!" Matt huffed but nodded, following Mello as he tried to find a place to hide.

"Why is this place so damn big?" Matt complained five minutes later. "...We never grabbed their gun."

"Damn it, what're we going to do when we run out of ammo? I should've sliced their neck." Mello complained realising they had to kill 20 people with what they had. And they'd probably get harder the more the test went on.

"We weren't thinking Mell's. To be honest I think this is stupid." Matt looked annoyed. "That black haired kid's a brat!"

"Yeah, he is. He's been extremely helpful to me though." Mello found a hole in a bush and looked in. "Hey Matt! There's a hole we can hide in!" Mello sounded triumphant. "I have some wire I grabbed in Far's room, how about a few traps?" Mello's smirk grew at Matt's uncertain nod.

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Mathew had no idea why he was sitting next to Carlos' bed. Although he did not appreciate Near watching as if he thought Mathew was going to kill Carlos. If he wanted to he would've smashed his head in earlier. Which he didn't. (Not from lack of trying.) Perhaps he was just in shock he'd fought back. After so long he'd fought back. And he'd won. Mathew began to tremble. And he wasn't dead. He was alive. And he'd fought back. "Is Mathew ok?" Near asked, part of him wondering if he should get Mathew to sign his cast around his arm. He'd never had anyone do it before.

"I'm alive." Mathew responded without thinking. "I fought Carlos... and I survived." The school believed him now. The nurse had been horrified to learn Carlos was more scarred then Mathew, according to her most of them had most likely been caused in childhood. So either he was a target in school or his family beat him. Mathew bet a bit of both. But he held no pity. He remembered his back coldly.

"_You shouldn't pray Mathew."A cold voice cut in, stopping Mathew as he prayed in Latin for forgiveness for another sin he'd committed that day._

"_Why not?" Love thy neighbour, Mathew reminded himself crossly, crossing himself as he finished._

"_Because I said so." Carlos shrugged, tall even for a child. Mathew was a year older if you'd believe it. Mathew looked at him coldly. "And we wouldn't want L to learn about yesterday would we?" Mathew barely remembered it but apparently he'd been running around the school claiming to be a messiah. One of the sins he'd prayed for forgiveness for. Not like he could do anything else. And in this school you had to sin to survive. Mathew shook his head to clear his thoughts._

_Carlos yanked the rosary out of his hands and into his pocket he dropped it, smirking as Mathew looked at him in confusion. Then Carlos pulled out his knife. "I suppose if you want a cross I'll give you one to carry." He pinned Mathew on his stomach who he caught by surprise, the knife destroying his top easily._

_Mathew screamed as the knife began to cut the skin on his back. "You want God; I'll give you your fucking God!" Carlos snapped slicing the familiar cross onto Mathew's back. "And if I see you praying again Mathew, you'll get worse. And you know it." Mathew just screamed in pain, crying._

"Mathew?" Mathew was thrown out of his thoughts as Near tugged at his sleeve. "Mathew is ok, right?"

"I guess." Mathew sighed, noting it was probably the only time he'd lied to Near. "What else would a pawn be?"

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Three dead. Mello had killed them all, taken two of their weapons and had holed himself into the STUPIDEST hiding place ever. Far sighed watching on the TV screen. It hadn't occurred to them to find the door the hunters entered from and wait there in order to take them out. Instead the plan hitched on the hunters tripping over wire so Mello could shoot out their brains. A very stupid plan indeed. The black haired child sighed again, wondering how they were going to survive when they starting electrocuting the bushes so they couldn't hide in them. The wire would make matters worse since it was perfect for conducting electricity.

"Can I talk to them over the intercom?" Far asked curiously. The old man glanced at him. "...thought not." They were so dead.

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Something was wrong. Mello could hear buzzing but there was no source. "Matt... You hear that?" Mello was tense, the last person had been out for thirty five minutes, two hunters were now on the prowl.

"Yeah, electricity." Matt knew that was not a good sign. He grabbed a branch to stop himself falling in his crouched position and froze. "Mell's? Why would they need wire attached to a branch?" Matt managed to ask, beginning to shake. Please let him be wrong.

"...to stop people hiding in them towards the end..." Mello had reached a similar conclusion and paled. The bushes were rigged. And to a very high voltage knowing this L. "GET OUT!" Mello screamed as the buzzing got louder. They both jumped out and sighed in relief.

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"Way to draw attention to yourselves." Far muttered.

"Ok Far, I trust you and you trust me. Who are they? Mathew might be an expert with a gun but he certainly doesn't shoot while aiming like a three year old." He looked at Far who sat cross-legged on his chair.

"Just two people I have to watch." Far shrugged. The man chuckled.

"Clever brat. But you seriously expect me to buy it?"

"You expect me to believe you work here for meagre pay alone?" Far looked at him coldly. "I am aware of how you treat the younger children sir and how you are willing to rig tests for them for... '_favours'_." The words left Far's mouth in disgust.

"Ok, caught. Let's leave each other's secrets alone." He'd lost his smile at Far's correct words.

"I believe that's the wisest decision." Far agreed coldly. He didn't hate him though; he was the kindest person in the school so it was impossible to. Especially since he treated them if they couldn't access proper medical care for any reason. Normally when the school blocked the shipment of medical equipment to the Ladies of the Night for whatever reason. So Far couldn't hate him. But he couldn't like him either.

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"_You won't believe it!" The blonde haired woman smiled at her husband gleefully. "Someone's offered us enough money to pay off are debts and then some! I'll never have to go to that horrible corner again!" Her husband took her hand gleefully._

"_That's wonderful! Hear that Carl?" He looked at the boy watching from a chair._

"_Yes daddy." The boy muttered, blue eyes watching them through his matted and grubby brown hair. The woman laughed coldly._

"_I forgot to mention, the brat's the price." She added. Even at a young age the boy understood her cruel words. She'd sold him to a slave ring. It wasn't uncommon in England. "L said he'd come in an hour." Her husband, the boy's father didn't say anything. Just sat down and cried._

Carlos whimpered in his unconscious state, trapped in the past he'd fought down for years. Mathew was now in class, repeating Carlos' words in his mind, telling him he was a pawn. Nothing more or less. Mathew tried to cry but couldn't. He just felt numb.

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Hunter 15 was when they ran out of bullets, generally wasted on missed shots and Matt shooting a rat he'd saw numerous times in horror. Perhaps dropping five guns running from a madman with a chainsaw had helped them running out of ammo though. And neither knew how to load the guns so the refills were useless. Far just sat back with a cup of tea and drank it silently, waiting for one of them to break. One of them HAD to break.

Surprise, surprise, it was Matt.

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"I HATE THIS!" Matt yelled. He was dyed red from the one person he'd shot at point blank range. Mello was relatively clean aside from cut on his arm which was leaking blood.

"Matt." Mello sighed.

"I'm going to kill that fucking brat! Why'd I come find you Mell's? WHY?" Matt jabbed Mello angrily. "What did you do to him to make him want you dead?" Mello snarled.

"I looked like Mathew!"

"...that's it? No snapping at him, no punching him, you just had blonde hair and blue eyes?" Matt's anger changed to shock rather quickly.

"Pretty much." Mello sighed. He'd lost track of time ages ago. Who knows how many people were hunting them now? He was sat on the floor looking at the domed sky bitterly, thinking to himself again. What would happen to him now? Was he doomed to Hell for his actions? Or would God understand? Mello had never been that great a catholic, he'd memorised the bible in three languages but never prayed. He beat up Near and blasphemed constantly.

"Mell's?"

"I just realised I'm a horrible person." Mello began to cry to Matt's shock, holding his face as his shoulders shook. Matt watched open mouthed at the rare sight of Mello crying, then was distracted by the woman armed with knives turning the corner.

"Found..." She started triumphantly.

"Don't care." Matt cut in.

"Wha..."

"Don't care."

"Um..."

"Please leave while I comfort my friend."

"..." She just stared. She'd been told to expect gunfire but this was... unexpected. She shrugged and moved to lunge forward to stab Matt when a knife lodged itself in her skull.

"...That was lucky." Matt muttered to himself, glad Far had given him a throwing knife. Then he froze staring at the corpse. He began to shake himself. It was his first kill. "...It was her fault... right Mell's? She... she wanted to kill me..." The red head insisted to himself. Mello ignored him so Matt forced down the shock. Only a few more hours... right?

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Far rolled his eyes in disbelief at these two. Talk about over reaction. 'I killed someone-boohoo...' Far thought mockingly to himself. He didn't care when the children cried and he didn't care when the 'adults' cried. Give Matt credit at least he actually _killed_ someone at last. Without blinking to. "Last person?" Far asked.

"Yeah. Why?"

"I was curious." Far shrugged calmly. "I skipped class to help them, I can at least make sure they survive."

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When Mello finally calmed down ten minutes later Matt was muttering to himself about how it wasn't his fault. He was kneeling next to her corpse at her bloodstained face which looked at him in shock. "I killed her…" Matt said.

"You ok?" Mello asked.

"I killed someone. But she… it wasn't my fault…" Matt tried to convince himself.

"Matt, break down _after_ we get out of here." Mello tried to convince him. Matt nodded quickly finally breaking his gaze away from the corpse. Mello noted she looked like their math teacher and flinched. No wonder he was freaking out. Different person, same face. "How many more people?"

"Lost count." Matt managed.

"So did I. Help me search her pockets for a weapon." Mello pulled out the knife with a sickening squelch, making a face of disgust as he wiped the brain matter off the blade onto her coat and offered it to Matt. The red head refused.

"I can't Mello… I don't want to be a murderer… I thought you wanted to be L…!" Matt added. Far, with another cup of tea, spat out the mouthful he'd been drinking in shock and began coughing from the part of the mouthful he'd accidently breathed in. Mello was _dead_ when he got his hands on him.

"Not anymore." Mello muttered bitterly eying the knife before putting it in his pocket.

"Mell's… you're not a part of this world. We belong back home, the nice world." Matt tried.

"Matt, if Mathew kills Carlos who'll force him to come back?" Mello asked.

"Uh…."

"Exactly. Me going back literally hinges on Carlos being able to control Mathew long enough for us to switch places. And if Carlos decided he wants to stay in that world or Mathew does kill him, you aint getting home either. So everything relies on 1. Carlos not dying and 2. Carlos not betraying us and deciding to stay there. Out of both of them number one seems more likely." Mello added. Matt groaned.

"Too many options…."

"Those are the options I can be bothered to list." Mello corrected. Matt groaned louder. "Should we hunt the next person and jump them or should we wait?"

"Jump." Matt sighed getting up unwillingly. Mello followed equally unwillingly. "If we quit now Far would have our heads." Matt tried to joke.

"We'd be dead." Mello corrected. Matt lost his sense of humor at that moment at Mello's sour words. They began to walk slowly, knives in hand. All the while Matt remembered when he was told how murder was wrong. When had his and Mello's morals changed?

They found the hunter and without looking at their face jumped them, Mello slicing the person's throat. It was easier for Matt to not see their features. As soon as he did a bell rang and Mello looked up. "So that's it?" He wondered aloud.

"Test's over, have fun finding the door out." Far announced over the speakers. Like hell he was helping anyone who wanted to be L out of the maze.

"Far's evil isn't he?" Matt asked.

"Course he is." Mello responded. As they set off to find the door Mello realized the test had met its target in reducing his reluctance to kill.


	14. It finally let me update TT TT

The maze was harder to get out of then Mello remembered. Perhaps that had something to do with not memorizing where they were running... Once Matt had brushed against the bush and yelped jumping back proving them correct about electrocuting the bushes at some point. Mello and Matt had avoided them after finding the wire. After half an hour Far got bored. "Turn left, then right." He sighed over the intercom.

"Thanks Far!" Mello yelled back. Matt just followed the blonde. As soon as they got out a book hit Mello's face.

"Want to be L do you?" Far snapped picking a steel pipe from the weapons area and storming over to Mello. "After everything you've learned?" Far screamed swinging. Mello dodged and realised he'd rolled _away_ from the weapons. That was the problem, one school taught academics and the other taught killing. Far had the advantage.

"Far!" Matt yelled furiously.

"Shut up or I tie you to a chair and put you in the fucking furnace!" Far snapped at him still trying to hit Mello. "After all the shit we've been through you want to be him?" Mello realised that in their world L was the only family they had, their saviour. But in this world, L was their tormentor.

"The L in our world's different!" Mello tried dodging another hit. Far wasn't trying to kill or even wound. If he was Mello would've been dead by now.

"He will never be different! He's a murderer! A kidnapper! A torturer!" Far swung with every accusation, to blinded by his fury to even aim. "Why would you want to be him?" He threw the pipe which narrowly missed the old man's head, who just sat there reading his book calmly. "Why would you abandon everyone... for that letter...?" Far asked slowly.

"...I don't know... L's all I've ever known." Mello admitted. "When I was still Mihael he found me in the orphanage and took me to Wammy's... In a way he's the only family I've ever had."

"And you'd want to take over after him when he's only using you?" Far looked Mello in the eyes. "He doesn't care for you Mello, all you can rely on are your friends and comrades. L would shoot you before he saves you." Matt stared in shock as Mello nodded reluctantly in agreement.

"Then why does Carlos want to become L?"

"Because becoming L is the only way to make losing his family worthwhile in his mind."

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Mathew looked at his notebook, lost. He didn't know what to do anymore. He'd stopped attending the lessons he'd started to enjoy and he was avoiding Near. How could he explain what he felt? That part of him had considered Carlos a friend, even if the other part had feared Carlos would kill him the moment he turned his back. He hadn't had anyone in the school other then Far, Carlos and the Ladies of the Night. And the Ladies of the Night who'd looked after him had long since moved on. They now ran the black market in France, Spain and part of China.

But Carlos had always been there. He protected him from other people but tortured and raped him himself. Mathew knew he should hate him but Mathew didn't… couldn't… "What's wrong with me…?"

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It had been ten days since Matt's arrival and Far had snapped, again tying Matt to the chair. He'd tricked Matt into smoking the drug that paralyzed people then waited till it wore off so Matt could feel everything. This time he didn't gag him though. "Where is Carlos?" Far snapped.

"He said five days! I swear!" Matt pleaded in terror. Far acting like this was not good for anyone who liked living.

"Carlos always keeps his word! WHERE IS HE?" Far screeched.

"I don't know!" Far paused before huffing, picking up his pliers coldly. Matt froze. "Uh… what are you…?"

"I'm doing what I should have done to you on the first day. I should have questioned you properly then!" Far snapped grabbing Matt's pinky nail with the pliers. "Where is he?"

"I swear! I don't know why he didn't come back!" Part of Far knew he was telling the truth, but when did anyone think straight when worried beyond belief?

"Then I guess you don't need _this_." Far smiled serenely before jerking, ripping off the nail entirely as Matt screamed in agony. Blood dripped off the finger slowly. He then placed them on the next finger. "I can do this all day, can you? 19 nails left." He added gleefully.

"Far I swear… please…"

"To bad." Far shrugged pulling off the next nail to an even louder scream. He was glad Mello was preoccupied with class at the moment. Matt let out a small sob. "Let's try this again shall we?" It never seemed to end to Matt as all the nails of his left hand were removed in this manner.

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Mello stared at the plant trying to move his thoughts away from how he'd left Matt in Far's hands. He doubted Far's explanation of wanting to talk to Matt alone but they'd made a shaky agreement to try and put up with each other till Mello and Matt could go home.

The blue plant moved slightly towards him and Mello leant backwards incase the plant had sensed him and began to weep acid. Granted it was what they were harvesting but it was a nightmare on human flesh. Didn't help he didn't have gloves either. He picked up two plastic pens and, using them slowly as chop sticks plucked off the leaves, placing them gently into the bowl and crushing them with the grinder. He smirked as the see through liquid began to seep out of the leaves.

Apparently he was a genius even by this schools standards.

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The brown haired boy opened his eyes slowly and sat up, looking around curiously. The woman in the white outfit jumped seeing him up and ran over, immediately flashing a light in his eyes to check. "How do you feel?" He didn't answer, watching her. "Mathew said your name was Carlos. Can you tell me how you feel Carlos?"

"…Who am I?" He asked. "Carlos? Is that my name?" She froze.

"He must've hit you really hard with that pipe… or perhaps it was the stairs…" She muttered. "I'm afraid we don't completely know who you are either. We were hoping you'd help us find our students actually."

"Oh. Um… how long have I been here?"

"You were unconscious for 2 months Carlos."


	15. Chapter 15

"Yeah, two months." The nurse sat in front of him as she picked up a file and flicked it open. "Your head injury was allot worse than we thought, you'd hit it at least three times falling down the stairs." She added. "And it seems you have amnesia." She added making a quick note. Carlos nodded slowly, eyes uncertain. "Don't worry, I don't bite." She added watching as he eyed the pen wearily.

"I don't know why... but I don't like you holding that pen..." He said as she made another note. She bit her lip, if the place he was from was like L thought he was probably aware of the ways a pen can be used as a weapon. So his training was that deeply engrained...

"I suppose it's pointless to ask about allergies and dietary needs."

"What's an allergy?" Carlos asked curiously. At that point it became obvious the nurse pitied him slightly. Carlos couldn't help but feel slightly annoyed at her pitying glances later on as she tried to look busy to avoid his questions about his identity.

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Mercy was a proud woman. No one denied it. She ran the Ladies of the Night with an iron fist, she was the most successful of them and she was in the top of her classes. So when she ran into the red haired Carlos who she suspected of killing Hope she tried to shoot him. He'd just broken down crying to her shock. When she poked him with the barrel of the gun he just sobbed pathetically, like the newbies that wouldn't last a month in the school.

Then she remembered Mello's situation and quickly summed up what had happened. "You're the replacement to Carlos aren't you?" She asked. He'd nodded slowly and she rolled her eyes calmly. "Carlos killed Hope, not you." He nodded again and she walked around him, putting away the gun in its holster. No point shooting an innocent for something they didn't commit.

So now she was wondering again, bored out of her mind in its own little world. She thought to herself idly that she should be planning for L's arrival later that night, but she was just so _bored_. There was nothing to do other then laze around or kill. That was the point of course; with some people the boredom drove them to inhumane acts just to relieve themselves of the boredom. Mercy herself had done it, accusing people of theft when she knew they hadn't just so she had a reason to torture and hang them. Of course she only did it to people who were a threat. A threat to what she didn't know what but a threat.

She wandered the school and no one bothered her. Even in her skimpy outfit that proved what she did for a living no one tried anything, they knew she was skilled with her gun. She'd passed L's test after all. She made a face of disgust at the word test. It had no purpose, just L showing the power he'd held over them all. She just pleased him enough to be gifted with a weapon and unlimited ammo being given to her, a gift he'd called it.

At twelve even she'd known the price of the gift.

She found herself at the mirror and rolled her eyes. Mello had explained how it worked. She also knew Carlos was missing. One of the people who helped her keep control of the school was missing. That had been his price for taking Mathew out of the Ladies of the Night. He killed those she asked him to. She almost smiled until she remembered he'd also killed Hope. The brat hadn't deserved to die.

Her reflection looked back at her and she smirked. "So you're the mirror. Well? Show me the other me." She laughed when nothing happened. "Or did they just see it in their dreams?" Her confidence, or rather overconfidence, showed on her face as she moved to turn when the image changed like rippling on water. Instead the mirror showed a girl looking back at her in a plain sun dress with long blonde hair and a scar running over her throat and up her face. Mercy made a face of disgust at the look of her. "So you're me?" She asked stepping closer and studying her. The girl blinked in confusion as Mercy placed her hand on the mirror. "Well? I'm waiting, I want to see it." Mercy's smile turned manic. "Show me where that fucker is hiding."

The girl obeyed nervously and touched the surface.

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Mello was amazed to be bored. Honestly he was. Normally he was trying to catch up in class but now he was on par with Far he was bored. Instead he just lay on his... Mathew's bed lazily. Matt hadn't coped so well Mello reminded himself. But Matt was missing, had been since that morning. For a week he'd sat in front of the mirror, at one point begging to be allowed home. When nothing had happened it took Mello doing everything possible to stop Matt from smashing it. They hadn't spoken for a while after that. But Mello understood how he'd felt. After all, they were both in the same position.

He'd run out of books to read, not that there were many to start with, and nothing was worth wandering the school for no reason. Except maybe trying to raid the kitchen. Food was always delivered there and it was the student's job to steal the food they wanted. It had helped, Mello thought idly looking at his now muscular arms. He was stronger now, faster, more dangerous. He couldn't pin when things had changed for him. The test maybe? Classes? When had he lost the part of his conscious that stopped him killing?

Mello looked at the drawer he knew held five knives, three of the owners were dead.

But he needed to survive. He needed to get home.

For what though?

It's not like he'd ever become L.

Because a tainted murderer could never become L.

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L watched Mathew in curiosity as Mathew watched Carlos through the gap in the door. Mathew seemed lost as he watched the brown haired boy struggling to use a knife and fork. Carlos kept scooping the scrambled egg but couldn't hold the fork properly so it kept falling. The boy just kept trying hopefully, refusing to be fed by the nurse who was watching in worry. Mathew seemed to pity his torturer, especially when Carlos threw down the fork in frustration in the end and cried in his hands. "Why can't I do it?" Carlos complained loudly between sobs. "Why?"

"Perhaps if you held it like this..." The nurse showed him how to hold the fork but Carlos shook his head.

"Why can't I remember?"

Mathew made a face and turned, freezing in shock as L watched him with wide eyes. "Perhaps you can talk to Carlos?" L tried.

"...Why would he talk to me? I was only a tool to him..." Mathew said lowering his eyes to the floor. L nodded.

"Yes, but he doesn't remember using you." L pointed out helpfully, Mathew looked at the door.

"Even if he hadn't, what do I do? I've never seen him so... pathetic." Mathew finally found the word to L's surprise.

"Isn't that an excuse to communicate with him?"

"...You're not leaving this alone, are you?" Mathew groaned.

"No." L shrugged. Mathew looked at were Carlos was reluctantly and L nodded in approval as Mathew thought through the options quietly. "...Do it and I'll give you something you want." Mathew immediately jerked at the offer as if stung and L became curious why.

"I... I have to go!" Mathew said before running. Whenever L offered something to you, you either accepted it or ran. After all, the price wasn't worth the gift.

That was how he ran into an odd situation. The blonde in a revealing black dress rested her foot on the table lazily, observing and lecturing the young girls coldly. "and that's why you never go alone with a guy." She lectured. "And if you do, and one _tries anything_ that's when you rely on your best friend." She pulled a knife out of her boot and stabbed the table heartlessly. The girls stared in a mix of horror, shock and confusion.

"...what do you mean by try anything?" One, Linda Mathew thought her name was, asked.

"Rape, sex the normal stuff." Mercy explained. "Any other questions?" They stared at the older blonde teen in amazement, most still questioning how she was talking mentally. Mathew was still staring.

"Mercy?" Mathew muttered. Mercy froze and looked at him wide eyed.

"Mathew? MATHEW!" She yelled happily running over and hugging him. Then she punched him in the stomach. "You fucker! Why'd you leave and have that pig take your place! How'd you get here? Where the hell are we?" She ranted. Mathew coughed from being winded by the punch. "Well?"

"I didn't ask to leave and same way as you, the mirror." Mathew wheezed. Mercy blinked before pulling him up and brushing him off before hugging again. She looked at the girls.

"Meet Mathew." She said happily.

"But... that's Mello." One tried to correct. Mercy blinked in mock confusion before pulling up Mathew's top to reveal his scars.

"Yup. Definitely Mathew." Mercy nodded mockingly. "I think I'd know my clients thank you." She added with a glare. "You never answered my question." She added to Mathew.

"It's a long story." Mathew dismissed tiredly. "Carlos is in the hospital wing." Mercy raised an eyebrow before looking at the girls.

"Anyone here have any suitors?" She asked loudly. They had no idea what she was talking about obviously. "...potential boyfriends?" She tried. Linda raised her hand nervously and Mercy handed her the knife she'd stabbed the table with. "To protect yourself." Mercy 'explained' with a kind smile. Linda took it unsure whether to be more scared of the knife or of Mercy. Linda put it in her pocket and Mercy nodded. "Now, Mathew, where's Carlos?" Her voice had turned steely. Mathew flinched. "He killed someone from our group, the price must be paid."

"I'll show you the way." Mathew muttered. Mercy patted him on the head calmly, smirking.

"Good."

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Matt looked at the black haired man in front of him, his black eyes examining Matt curiously. After a few moments the man pushed a cup towards him. "Tea?" He offered smiling. Matt took it curiously as the man crouched in his chair, watching intently as Matt sipped it to be polite. "Carlos, what are the four signs of your drink being spiked?" The man asked.

"...there are signs?" Matt managed, wondering why his head suddenly felt light.

"I left all four signs on the cup, including powder on the rim and not letting the powder dissolve properly. The drug will give you a head ache for half an hour I'm afraid, but I needed to be sure." The man leant forward. "You aren't Carlos."

"How'd you...?"

"Carlos doesn't trust me like you do, in fact Carlos knows who I am. You treat me like I'm a total stranger." The man smiled. "I am L."


	16. Chapter 16

L watched in satisfaction as the redhead's jaw hung at the introduction. L, short for Lawless, smiled. "I... You..." the red head stuttered.

"I assume you came from the mirror on the second floor." L shrugged putting two pills on the table and beginning to crush them with a credit card. The red heads jaw dropped again. "Do shut your jaw, it's unsightly." L commented. He shut it quickly. "Now what's your name? If I remember correctly the people from your world carry different names to ours."

"M... Matt." Matt introduced. L hummed moving the crushed pills into a line and picked up a straw. He offered it to the red head who had paled, the headache kicking in like it was meant to. Matt declined the drugs he didn't recognise and L shrugged, putting down the straw for later use.

"Are you like Carlos, using a pipe to smoke instead? I'm afraid I don't have a pipe..." L tried. Matt blinked and L offered a cigarette instead. Matt took it and the lighter L held up, lighting the cigarette and leaning back in relief as the nicotine flooded his system. "...I am often amazed at how different the same people can be when they're from different worlds." L sighed to himself. Matt paused. "There was someone from your world who came here once. The person from this world was named Beyond Birthday, one day he changed, insisting we called him Backup instead. Refused to kill. Refused to torture." L frowned at the memory. "In the end he explained the mirror to me. At first I refused to believe, but everything made sense when I did. Especially the sudden disappearance of Beyond's schizophrenia."

"So... what happened to Backup?"

"He was killed by Abraham; Backup called him Albert by mistake all the time and Abraham hanged him in anger." Matt flinched; Albert was L's first heir who'd committed suicide jumping off a building. L nodded. "It was a great loss."

"So, what are you going to do to me since I'm not Carlos?" Matt asked curiously.

"I have a compromise, a test. If you pass, you keep Carlos' place. If you fail, then for all I care you can join the Ladies of the Night and explain to them why prostitution and assassination is your calling." L smirked coldly at Matt's frown. "And if you refuse you die." L added.

"I guess I have no choice then." Matt tried to joke; instead it came out as a submissive comment that made L throw back his head chuckling deeply.

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"...Well... this is awkward." Mercy said loudly after ten minutes of silence as she sat in front of Carlos. Mathew nodded standing as far on the other side of the room as physically possible while appearing polite. Which in his mind was pressed against the wall with a desk between him and Carlos. Carlos watched them in curiosity.

"Who're you?" Carlos asked at last.

"You're employer in a sense, and future murderer if you regain your memory and remember killing Hope. Of course, till then you owe me." She smiled lethally. Carlos nodded unsure of what she meant. He looked at Mathew and Mercy stepped to the right so she was blocking Carlos' view. She was now glaring. "And if you try anything with Mathew, then amnesia is the least of your problems. The Ladies protect each other."

"...That person's a girl?" Carlos gasped. Mathew blushed furiously while glaring furiously.

"No, he was a member of our, well my, group the Ladies of the Night. You could say we were L's private whores, the runners of the black market and the assassins of the school." She smiled brightly at the last one, proud. "It's one of the reasons L gave me a gun. I impressed him. Then he killed our leader so I could take over." She added nonchalantly. Carlos nodded in interest, while his memory was gone his psyche still held its morbid interest it seemed. Mathew whimpered when Mercy accidently swayed on the spot and Carlos met Mathew's eyes.

"I know you." Carlos realised. "I know both of you!" He smiled happily. "Who am I? Where are we?"

"...You're Carlos and we're on the wrong side of the fucking mirror. Literally." Mercy shrugged. Mathew nodded in agreement and flinched when Carlos looked at him again. Mercy sighed and sat next to Carlos, grabbing his chin so he looked at her. "Look, we need to get home and for that we need your help." Mercy said soothingly, Carlos blinked in confusion but nodded slowly.

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Matt was lead by L through the bottom floor, remembering the test that had been held down here. He shuddered and L smiled to himself when he was certain Matt wasn't looking. He opened a door and let Matt walk in first, following so he could stop Matt bolting when Matt saw the person tied to the chair bleeding slowly. Matt froze and turned to see L offering him a gun.

"Shoot him." L ordered. Matt gaped slowly. "I'll reiterate. Shoot him, or I shoot him then you." L reworded it. Matt looked at him wide eyed as the man began screaming through his gag. "He'll die either way, whether or not you will is another matter." Matt's hand shook as he took the offered gun, L noting how pale he was. Matt looked at the man, trying to reason the murder all the while.

"Just pull the trigger, he'll die either way." Matt whispered holding up the gun. "He'll die either way, no one needs to know." The man screamed as Matt aimed at his forehead shakily. "Just... pull the trigger..." Matt urged himself, finger tightening on the trigger.

Matt flinched as the gun released a loud bang.

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Mello was hunted down by a familiar red head from the library, cleaver resting on her shoulder as she watched him coolly through half lidded eyes which held mild annoyance. "Where's Mercy?" She snapped. Mello glared.

"And how would I know?" Mello snapped back equally annoyed. She sighed and shook her head.

"L's visiting, as a rule Mercy sees him when he's not busy." She looked to the side in worry. "She never misses a visit and she's never missing for this long. Something's wrong Mathew." She paused. "Mello. Sorry, Mercy explained the situation slightly but we've known Mathew for over ten years, it's... weird." She smiled shyly and Mello raised an eye brow at her and she shrugged. "So... I hear you're becoming more active?" She tried, attempting small talk.

"oh.. yeah. I got two knives last week alone." Mello nodded. They were silent for a moment. "Aren't you trained to communicate easily?"

"It was never a strong point. I'm not popular as a prostitute. Assassination's more my thing." Mello looked at the girl with her messily chopped red hair, dull green eyes and pale skin in her ragged long sleeve shirt and skirt which had been torn short enough be barely decent, her cleaver hanging from one hand with a blade that seemed blood stained and slightly dull. He could see why she wasn't a popular person to hire out in the Ladies of the Night. "I'm also the executioner in the library, it's my job to hunt down and hang thieves." She shrugged again and Mello made a face of mild interest. "Anyway, if you see Mercy can you send her to the library?" Mello nodded and she walked off to look for Mercy again.

"...I wonder where Matt is?" Mello wondered aloud. Back home Matt often disappeared. It happened so often when he did it here he thought nothing of it. Mello decided to look for Matt.

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Matt slumped, his knees giving way as soon as he pulled the trigger and crying when he realised he'd killed in cold blood. His hands were shaking Matt realised. No, his entire body was. "I... I..." Matt muttered.

"Very good Matt, you pass." L said behind him. Matt jerked in disgust as L walked over to the corpse and pulled off the gag. "Are you Ok?" The 'corpse' nodded pulling himself free of the rope.

"I was beginning to think you'd never let me out of that chair." He complained loudly, red dripping from his forehead. Matt stared in horror, his entire body shaking.

"What..."

"The gun was loaded with a blank bullet full of red paint which was the same colour as blood to simulate an actual execution." L explained as the man wiped the drying pain off his face in boredom. Matt felt sick as he realised he'd been played. He lurched forward as he retched, feeling ready to throw up but was unable to. L watched in amusement. "You can keep the gun, I'll tell Mercy to give you ammo for it whenever you run out." He knelt down, closer to the teen. "Congratulations, you impressed me."

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Mercy was in class of all things. Math to be exact. Carlos was in there as well, L had said he thought it would help Carlos' memory, but she suspected otherwise. L helped no one for free. L had told the staff that she was a temporary student. She snorted to herself and began doodling on a piece of paper in boredom. At least back home if she got bored she could do something. In this school they all just sat there obediently listening to the teachers. As soon as the word 'teacher' crossed her mind the pencil broke the paper and it tore. She cursed louder.

"Mercy, what are you doing?" She tensed and looked up at the male math teacher, before forcing herself to relax and look up at him coldly.

"Doodling." She said. The teacher took the paper and looked at the... graphically violent... pictures. As he placed the paper down he ran his eyes over her outfit.

"If you insist on attending my lessons please refrain from dressing like a common whore." He insulted. At once Mercy was out of her seat, glaring at the academic. Behind her Mathew froze, knowing the consequences of calling Mercy a whore. She glared before smiling kindly. "Sit down." He ordered. Mercy took one step forward before leaping, grabbing the mans neck and pinning him to a table. She grinned sadistically.

"Tell me, how would you feel if your students saw you fucking a 'common whore?'" She asked ginning cutely. One lesson she'd learned quickly was controlling her expressions. The teacher made a noise caught between horror and disgust as Mercy slipped a hand over his belt and then up her leg so it disappeared under her skirt. Mathew knew where this was going and he knew this was going to have consequences. The teacher didn't realise the hole he was about to be buried in. "I'm 16 so guess what?" Mercy's eyes narrowed as she pointed the pistol between his eyes. They crossed trying to focus on the barrel. "I can kill you." She finished gleefully pulling the trigger. She ignored the screams from the students and watched as Mathew stood up and walk past so he found the teachers notes. He wrote an equation on the bored.

"Since he's dead we'd better do this till they get a new one." Mathew announced to the horrified class. "Who can guess the answer to this?" Mercy began to take notes as if nothing had happened, making the matter worse.

Mercy, Mathew and Carlos were psychotic they realised.

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**9shadowcat9; Is the rating ok or should I raise it? Thanks. ^^**


	17. Chapter 17

L had heard about what happened in math with a dismal acceptance, he'd been expecting it honestly. Especially after his conversation with Mathew about Mercy when he'd first learned about her. Mathew had been quite honest about her, all action and no thought unless she had something to gain. She was greedy Mathew had summarised, greedy but violent. Referring to her by a derogatory term was a death sentence she was willing to hand out.

L had already planned how to use that to his advantage, if she was as greedy as Mathew said she was she'd tell him anything he asked in exchange for something she wanted. L looked into his tea thoughtfully; he'd finally have the answers he'd been looking for. He also needed to test something though, from what he'd heard Mathew and Mercy had no morals, he needed to test this. It was more of a curiosity thing then anything but he WAS interested to see if it was possible to 'have your morals beaten out of you'.

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Mathew found Mercy raiding the kitchen and sat on a chair as she began to make a soup. After the last time she'd been taken to the canteen no one was willing to let her try it again. So now she was cooking a vegetable soup which was all the vegetables she could find and cut up thrown into a pot of boiling water with a stock cube she'd found by chance. Mathew wasn't too sure how it'd come out but he'd eat it anyway, just to be polite.

Mercy looked at him and nodded before going back to the soup. "...You shouldn't have shot the teacher." Mathew said at last. "If we're going to stay it'd be better if we didn't draw attention to ourselves."

"We aren't staying permanently. We stay until we know how to get home then we leave." Mercy corrected trying the soup. She nodded and kept stirring. "This should last a few days." She smiled. Mathew groaned.

"Why leave? If we stay here then we don't have to fight for our lives, we don't have to kill. We would be happier here." Mathew argued.

"Mathew, are you telling me our teachings will go away just because we move to a new school? I honestly thought you were smarter than that." Mercy looked at Mathew, eyes annoyed. "I only came here to find Carlos and drag his ass back so I could shoot him for killing Hope. Instead he has amnesia and you haven't told him anything about home so he isn't even trying to go back."

"He was using me to become L!" Mathew yelled furiously.

"I know!" Mercy snapped. "We knew he intended for you to die. We knew he was using us. He never realised we were using _him_ to get you into power." Mathew paused, blinking. "He never could hide his plans well; you just needed to know what to look for." She shrugged stirring the soup slowly without taking her eyes off Mathew.

"You... knew you were sending me to slaughter?" Mercy let out a bark of laughter.

"Course not! Don't you remember L's secretary?" Mercy held a proud smirk as she spoke. Mathew nodded, she was hard to forget. Long black hair in a bun, dull brown eyes and was the only person Mathew knew to appear submissive and threatening at the same time. She was completely loyal to L. He'd met her twice, once when he became number one in the ranks after Carlos began to 'help' him and once when he'd joined the school. She was always hovering near L's shoulder. "She's one of us, we got her into L's good books and L took her as his personal worker. She agreed to get you your medicine when you became L's official heir so you'd never die because of being schizophrenic."

Mathew blinked. "Once a Lady of the Night, always a Lady of the Night." Mercy concluded her small speech with a kind smile. Mathew realised the sting in his eyes was tears and he wiped them furiously. "Mathew, this school is divided. Haven't you noticed? Everyone's to busy trying to be number one to help each other. At home it's the opposite. People form groups to keep each other alive." Mercy pulled out a plastic mixing bowl and poured the soup into it.

"I guess..." Mathew agreed slowly. Mercy began the slow walk to Near's room as Mathew followed thoughtfully.

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Matt got up shakily and L put an arm around his waist to help him stand. Matt was pale, L noted to himself. "Come on, you can rest in my office." L prompted. Matt obeyed without really thinking, mind still repeating shooting the man in his brain. He'd almost killed someone. He would've killed someone if the bullet had been real. L just led him, guessing correctly that his thought weren't truly focused on watching where he was going.

"It... wasn't my fault..." Matt muttered. "I didn't mean to..." He was trying to reason out his actions.

"Yes you did, you knew pulling the trigger was a death sentence but you did it anyway to save your own neck." L corrected coldly. One thing he couldn't stand was people who tried to pin the blame on someone else. If you don't want to admit you did it, don't do it in the first place. That was what he thought and in L's mind L was always right. Matt began shaking more and L groaned, perhaps he should attempt learning how to be nice. But if he did that no one would be afraid of him...

"I'm a murderer..."

"Yes you are. That means you'll survive this school like the Mathew lookalike is as well. I believe Mercy called him Mello?" Matt jerked in L's grip and L smirked wider. "Mercy sold him out for medical supplies and more weapons." That BITCH! Matt mentally screamed in fury in his mind as L continued to lead him. "I've watched you both for a few days, Mello's settled in better than I thought he would. He appears to have resigned himself to staying here. You on the other hand appear determined to leave. Why is that?"

"Bastards like you appear to want me dead."

L only smiled brightly at the insult.

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Mello ducked the knife aimed at his face and swung, slicing the persons arm so they yelped and dropped their weapon. Mello paused to examine the older boy panting, already planning his next move calmly. He had to kill him or people would think he was weak, Mello planned to himself before nodding once and lunging, driving the knife through his forehead with a sickening crack as the skull fractured and the brain was pierced. Mello pulled out the knife with a 'squelch' realising he was coated in blood.

"Damn it." Mello muttered kneeling and beginning to go through the boys pockets and shoes for hidden weapons. The mild urge to throw up was shoved away easily and Mello found a throwing knife in success. His equipment was also claimed, and his notebook. The notebooks as Mello now knew was the main source of information for students, they made notes on other students, teachers, classes, anything and protected them in case another student stole theirs. Mello had done the smart thing, he didn't own one.

Mello put the book in his bag making a mental note to incinerate it later when he saw a familiar red head. He missed the black haired man as Mello grinned. "Matt!" Mello jumped him in a tight hug, realising to late he'd smeared blood on him. He shrugged mentally and hugged tighter until he realised Matt was in shock. "Mattie?"

"I almost shot him..." Matt muttered.

"...uh... you ok?" Mello sucked at being nice. Matt sent him a look that sent shivers down his spine before smiling brokenly. Mello bit his lip as the black haired man smiled. "...L?" Mello gasped.

"Hello Mello. Mercy's told me _all_ about you." The man's smile was sinister as Mello's eyes widened in realisation. "I am L." Mello shook his hand numbly. "I'll be frank. You want to go home and I want my students back. I'll help you in getting home. Under a few conditions. One; You stay in the same places as your predecessors and two; you do what I tell you to." His eyes looked at Matt for a moment and Matt flinched miserably. "Just a few tests of course. Deal?"

"Deal." Mello said quickly. L's facial expression made Mello realise he'd just signed away his freedom for something he was questioning would ever happen. Mello swallowed slowly in nervousness. "But you protect us from the crazy ass students and crazier teachers. I don't want to end up on a biology slab." L nodded and they shook on the deal sealing their fates.

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Mercy was summoned at 15:06 exactly she noted as the student looked around the door and said L wanted her. Mathew looked up from his food nervously, then at Near who was playing with two toys, enjoying the freedom of having no plaster on his arm. Mercy stood up slowly and pulled off her boots slowly, putting them to her side before grabbing the ribbons crossing down the corset back of her black dress and undoing the bow, tugging so the corset tightened and she gasped as it suddenly became harder to breath. She then knelt down as the men watched in confusion, pulling out two more ribbons attached the inside of the dress and tying them to belt loops on her hips so the skirt part was shortened to over her knees. She then brushed her arms with her hands slowly, watching the makeup fly off in a dust cloud revealing scars running up and down her flesh. She did the same on her face.

Near stared at the girl before standing up and edging closer, eying her chest in mere curiosity while Mercy pulled two cuff bracelets out of her bag and expertly buckled them onto her wrists. "Mercy, I don't think this L intends to hire you." Mathew pointed out. Mercy shrugged pulling her hair out of the pony tail she'd put it in at some point or another and shook it out so it fell over her shoulder.

"I don't trust him, neither should you." Mercy huffed looking at Near. "Can I _help_ you?"

"So that's what a corset does, I've wondered why women wear them." Near replied edging slightly closet. She rolled her eyes, the boy had obviously never been laid. Perhaps he didn't even know what hormones were. She grabbed the back of his head and pulled him forward so his head was planted between her breasts. Mercy narrowed her eyes when Near froze, caught between struggling and staying still long enough to enjoy the fact this would be the closest he ever got to a female.

"He isn't going to hire you either." Mathew commented a bit louder, wondering if Near knew what Mercy was thinking. She had the 'how best to get his service' look on her face, he had something she wanted and would do anything to get it. It wasn't unheard of for people who owned stuff she wanted to 'disappear' and something looking _exactly_ like what she'd wanted to turn up in the black market.

"He's a teenager, he will one day." Mercy's smirk widened. "Done yet brat?" Near pulled away not even blushing. Yup, no hormones. How OLD was this kid?

"...please don't do that again." Near drawled in slight embarrassment, fighting down the blush.

"Yeah, yeah. Payment." She demanded holding out a hand. Near blinked faster. "I don't give for free. You didn't struggle so you have to pay." She strode over to a desk and looked at it, analyzing the worth of everything. She picked up his class books. "Thank you." She dumped them next to her bag before pausing. "Oh yeah..."

She pulled a knife out of her boot and strapped in to her thigh, tying the knot holding it up tightly. She nodded and looked at the staring student. "Well?" She snapped. "L shouldn't be kept waiting!" She strode past, somehow looking menacing in a revealing dress, garter and stockings. Mathew and Near watched her leave in shock at what had occurred.

"...she thinks you're a submissive." Mathew finally broke down laughing as Near looked at him in confusion.

"Is she always like that?"

"It's her job to be like that, some people _like_ it. She's great isn't she?" Mathew's voice was distant.

"...her approach was unwanted..."

"Should've struggled, she would've stopped immediately." Mathew shrugged and Near remained silent knowing he wouldn't win this argument. Mathew obviously cared about Mercy. Mathew seemed to know Near's thoughts. "Mercy's the current leader of the group that raised me, in a sense you could say she's my motherly figure."

"A motherly figure you sleep with."

"Yeah." Near seemed disgusted to Mathew's confusion. "It's not like we're related, she's just the mother figure in the group. Once a lady of the night, always a lady of the night."

"You _sleep_ with someone you consider your mother figure. Do you have a Oedipus complex?"

"No, she was more my sister growing up. But that's beside the point."

"That's even worse."

"Why? I sleep with her and she pays me with my medicine. Nothing's for free in her mind. In a sense she hires me." Near didn't look convinced. "You don't understand how things work in our school. In our school it's all about power. Sex is a mere form of control. Do you understand Near?"

"Not really."

"...It is so obvious you're a virgin." Mathew huffed. Near decided it was definitely the time to feel insulted.

"In this world you don't sleep with family."

"In our world some families sell their children into slavery."

"In this world slavery's banned."

"So is abuse it seems. Very common back home." Mathew's eyes gleamed in hidden fury as Near countered coldly.

"You aren't home though, you're here." Near twirled a piece of hair.

"You know nothing!" Mathew couldn't find a valid arguement.

"Neither do you."

"You... You..." Mathew yelled in frustration.

"A word of advice, in this world it would help to hold your temper." Near was through playing this game with him. "I'm going to the library, don't take apart my stuff." Near left, the winner of the... argument? Debate?

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**9shadowcat9; I really need to end this soon... otherwise it'll just drag on. Sorry I'm not updating allot, allot has been happening in the real world. ;_; Sorry.**


	18. Chapter 18

"_Here he is." His mother pushed him forward smiling proudly as her son tried to grab at her hand desperately for support. The black haired man smiled down at him but he knew. He knew this man wasn't safe. "Now where's the money?" Her eyes glistened greedily as his father sat and cried again, still not stopping his wife from selling their only child. The black haired man still smiled, the smile of the dead the child mentally called it._

"_Carlos, I am L." L introduced taking the child's hand and pulling him closer. Carlos shook as the man knelt, eyes tearing up as L reached into his pocket while turning Carlos to face his mother gently. Something was pushed into his hands and L gently manipulated Carlos' fingers around the trigger. She screamed as the gun was pointed at her. "Pull the trigger Carlos." L whispered. "Get revenge on the money grabbing whore for trying to sell you." Carlos didn't realise what was in his hands as he obeyed the powerful man who'd wrapped his arms around the small boy protectively, manipulatively. She fell to the floor, blood dripping from her breast. "There's your money, the money earned from selling body parts on the black market." _

_He gestured to the woman near the door and she stepped forward with a case. "I'll take the corpse, you take the money sir." The man sat there dazed with what looked like horror then at his son who was looking at his mother's body blankly and nodded slowly. L turned the boy towards the door and pushed him out. He shut the door leaving L and Carlos' father in a room together with only the woman, but it was impossible for Carlos to miss the loud bang that rang through the air before L walked out again and lead him away holding his hand._

Carlos sat up with a scream. Mathew fell off the bed he had been sleeping on with a loud thump and Carlos looked at him wide eyed. "I'm... I'm a murderer?"

"What'd you remember? Throwing me out a window?" Mathew grumbled pulling himself back into the bed and paused. "Mercy, how'd you get in my bed?"

"You're a heavy sleeper." The girl dismissed cuddling up to the blonde as if it was an everyday occurrence. Carlos was still blinking quickly.

"I threw you out a window?"

"I'm only staying near you because L threatened to lock us in a small room." Mathew lay down to sleep, wrapping an arm around Mercy. He glanced at the pill container and smiled tiredly before going to sleep. Carlos sat up the rest of the night trying to remember his past.

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Mello and Matt were walking down the corridor, Matt holding a gun tightly in his hands shaking as he remembered L's test. "I don't want to Mells." Matt whispered. Mello looked at him tiredly, knife sticking out of his belt. They paused outside the room and looked at each other before Mello pulled out his lock pick set and began picking the lock slowly. He succeeded after a few minutes.

"What L says goes." Mello replied unhappily pushing open the door to show a dark room. Mello flicked the light switch, unsurprised when it didn't work. When he looked at the bulb he realised why. It had been smashed to pieces rendering it unsalvageable. Mello stepped in slowly with Matt following behind. "But I don't like it either." Mello added reaching up and pulling off the back pack slowly, pulling out what they'd needed. The test made him sick. A student in the school refused to reveal his real name, understandable to Mello. L wanted them to force it out of him. Mello looked at what they'd been given and turned slightly green remembering what they'd been told in class.

Matt paled seeing the pliers and clenched his shaking hands tightly. This was _sick_ but a deal was a deal. L was the devil. Mello knew that now, he didn't trust L though. Not by a long shot, but L was their only hope. Already things had become slightly easier as L had promised. He sat on the bed and pulled a photo out from under the pillow showing a small boy with his father. Mello lowered his eyes sadly and put away the photo again, knowing it would never be pulled out again as the door opened and a small ten year old walked in. He pulled out a lighter and lit it, jumping when he saw Matt. He sighed. "L's finally came after me huh?" The boy asked seeing the tools on the bed near the blonde. "What's he want? The location of Kira?"

"Kira?"

"The detective determined to stop L. The only one smart enough to do so. Well, is that what he wants?"

"He wants your name." Matt butted in. He looked at his fingers before shaking himself. The boy snorted.

"With a name comes power." The two froze. "He wants more than the name. He wants you to torture me for it, which means he'll have won against me. I'll surrender the name and suffer the effects of torture. Did he give permission for rape?" The boy was brave Mello thought as he sat on the bed. Matt nodded slowly, L said torture within reason so rape was definitely allowed. "By doing this though he also controls you." Mello looked down. "...You made a deal." The boy's eyes widened.

"I'm sorry."

"L won't keep his side of the bargain. He'll keep making you do more without doing anything himself." The boy warned sitting next to Mello. "So, what did you intend to tie me to? Because I don't see a chair." Mello groaned, he was right. Matt pulled some duct tape out of his pocket and handed it to Mello.

"I'm sorry." Mello repeated forcing the boy onto his stomach and duct taping the boys hands behind his back, a few layers of duct tape connecting the boys wrists to his stomach almost immobilised his struggles, Mello added a few more layers of tape to his ankles and his leg just above his knees immobilizing the boy who was struggling furiously. Mello frowned and picked up the pliers emotionlessly."Just tell me the name."

"Wouldn't you be more interested in knowing why L _wants_ my name?" The boy asked teasingly, turning with difficulty so he could grin at the blonde, Mello noted the green tinged skin with mild admiration. "Or are you just a dog?" Mello slapped him eyes sparking with fury. No one called him a dog.

Matt looked away at the treatment, closing his eyes tightly. The boy's eyes seemed brighter realising he was angering Mello. "A good dog obeys orders, biting for its master's pride. That's how you're acting right now." Mello froze wide eyed. "Or are you that desperate for what you need?"

"...who are you...?"

"Kira put me in here to shut down L. You can call me Joker." Mello frowned. So in this world someone named Kira was their L... "Whose side are you on? You told me once that you were on the side that would help you survive Mathew!" Joker glared at those words and Mello felt as if Joker knew more than he was letting on...

"So why would he want your name?" Mello muttered putting the pliers down and sitting back waiting for Joker to talk.

"Why do you think? I'm not an orphan, thus I have a weakness. He knows I'll sell out Kira for my Mom and Dad." Joker had lost his smile and Mello was almost glad. "Let's talk which side offers you more Blondy since you're obviously not Mathew and he's obviously not Carlos."

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Mercy watched the black haired man, glaring through her hair. Their conversation kept running through her mind and her fury grew every time she replayed it, her intelligence stopping her editing it so she had more of a reason to want to pull out her knife and stab him. That self absorbed smirk... that... that... she growled quietly making Mathew jump looking around before staring at her, she hadn't realised she'd began to bend the fork she'd been holding in her fury. "I hate him." L glanced at her with his empty black eyes and the fork bent a bit more.

"_I hear you're from the ladies of the night in Mathew's old school."_

Big headed know it all...

"_I want to hear more about your world and I am curious about one thing." Mercy looked at him from her crouched position in confusion._

He'd known... he'd known all along...

"_You work as a prostitute in your school. How many of the teachers sleep with the students?"_

She'd fucking KILL him! He acted like he didn't know anything. He knew!

And he'd spoken of it like she'd _wanted_ it. Like she asked for a man twice her age to fuck her raw and leave her bleeding and crying on the floor. Like she'd wanted to... to... Mercy stabbed the table with the now bent fork, eyes stinging.

Like she'd wanted to join the school in the first place.

"_But you could refuse."_

She'd die.

"_I'll give you something you want, but in return you give me something I want." His eyes seemed to shine evilly. "I want information."_

She hated him. Manipulative bastard. Perhaps that's why she respected him as well. He was like her, manipulating for the answer he wanted. She looked up from her makeshift weapon she'd stolen as Mathew put a hand on her shoulder urgently. "I want to show you something outside." Mathew said pulling her up. Mercy followed as Mathew led her to the gate at the front and looked at her expectantly. She looked at it then at him.

"...And?" Mathew poked the gate and it opened slowly as Mercy realised he'd broken the lock on it. Recently if it wasn't fixed by now.

"We can be free."Mathew gestured to the outside and Mercy couldn't stop the unfamiliar feeling of hope rise in her chest. She shoved it down and locked it away, glaring at the blonde who looked ecstatic. "We just walk out and walk away, they'll never find us."

"Mathew... We can't leave. How else will we get back?" Mathew's face fell at her question.

"But we don't have to go back. You keep saying you want to but I saw your face. You were happy for a moment when I said we could be free, so why fight it? What's waiting for us back there?" Mercy looked away biting her lip. "Besides, aren't you curious to see the outside?" Mercy shook her head, the temptation was over whelming but...

"It's not right." She insisted. "It's not." Mathew glared stepping back.

"Fine, you don't have to leave. But I'm not staying." Mathew turned and ran down the road, Mercy watching emotionlessly.

"...Well, better go tell L he's just lost an heir." Mercy shrugged eventually, walking back into the school looking forward to seeing L's face.


	19. Chapter 19

Mathew ran from the building down the street pausing when a thought occurred to him. In his excitement to leave he'd forgotten his medicine. Mathew shook his head and kept running, it couldn't be helped, he just had to get away.

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Near raised a cold eye brow when Mercy found him without her usual blonde companion by her side. He raised it further when she commented his 'rival for first place' was missing, as if Mathew had a chance to replace Mello. He froze when she gestured out a window to the front gate hanging open ominously. "He wasn't listening to me." Mercy said without really caring before she kept walking. Near stared after her before going to find L, surely he knew what to do about an AWOL Mathew? Near immediately set off to find him only to be cornered by Mercy ten minutes later. She smiled brightly, but her eyes were cold. "What are you doing Near?"

"Finding L so he can find Mathew."

"And then?" Near didn't understand the question. "What will happen when he gets back? What's to stop him leaving again? I could've left at anytime and so could he." Near glared slightly at the questions she gave him. "...Near, Mathew needs to realise this world is different from ours and has its problems. Besides..." She held up a pill container. "Sooner or later someone will catch him, especially when he's not on his meds. From the looks of it he hasn't taken them for a while." Her smile was now borderline sadistic. "You've seen him when he's only experiencing mild delusions." She noticed Near looked more worried than anything and silently sighed, she wasn't very good at reassuring people... "Just let it play out, otherwise this will keep happening." Mercy summarised, noting in mild annoyance the lack of belief on Near's face. "Or you can go tell L Mathew's missing whenever he disappears from now on because he won't sit still." She added with a shrug. "Either way, it won't help anyone."

Near walked past her with his head down, refusing to meet her smug eyes.

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Mathew had hitched a lift to a town called Winchester at knife point, slitting the man's throat when he was no longer needed and abandoning the body in a dark, damp ally. After all, when Mathew left he'd no doubt report him to the police and have Mathew sent back. Couldn't have that could he?

No, no he couldn't.

Mathew smiled walking through the town, ignoring the people. He had to ignore them, couldn't look them in the eye, couldn't anger them. Mathew snarled to himself suddenly, his thoughts were hazy. Like they were hiding in the mist. He froze in mid-step. Someone was stealing his thoughts. He began to shake. Someone was controlling him; that was the only explanation. "SHIT!" He screamed loudly, crouching in the path covering his ears. "GET OUT! GET OUT!" He began to run, eyes darting left and right. Why were they watching him? He ran past TV's in a screen and Mathew could hear them.

"We're coming for you." They said. "We see you. We know where you are." Mathew ran faster, screaming louder. The voice grew louder, more threatening as he ran. They were closing in. They were following him. Mathew turned the corner and hid behind a car, he was pale he knew.

"Are you ok?" Someone asked. Mathew screamed running again, ignoring the yell to wait. Had to get away!

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"What sort of symptoms does Mathew show?" L asked coldly.

"Sometimes he thinks people are after him, that voices are talking in his head." Mercy started with a loud sigh. She looked to her right and saw Carlos watching, L had brought him in to see if Carlos would remember anything from her words. She smiled mirthlessly. "His thoughts can be... hazy. Sometimes he thinks God is talking in his mind. Sometimes he can't communicate properly. It's why we need him back. He can be dangerous." L's eyes hardened. "Don't look at me, blame the idiot who attacked him every time he had an attack." Her eyes strayed to Carlos who blinked in confusion.

"Me?"

"You threw him out a window for hearing voices."

"...I did?"

"You tried to stab him. You threatened to hang him. In fact, at one point he was at the hangman's noose."

"Wait... what?"

"You tied him up and held him over a banister with a noose around his neck. You were reading the passage of the bible used in public executions as his final rights before the execution." Carlos seemed to pale.

"Are you sure Mello's safe in your world?" Near asked.

"Carlos is alive isn't he?" Mercy shrugged.

"I said safe, not alive."

"Oh, in that case; no. He's fucked." Mercy laughed harshly at her answer, as if she'd said something amusing.

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The people were gone, he was no longer being followed. He thought. They were most probably hiding. Mathew whined sitting on the bench. "You ok there?" The person in black asked walking up to him.

"They're following me." Mathew whispered, eyes darting left and right.

"Who's following you sir?" Mathew noticed the person was wearing a hat and almost giggled.

"They are."

"Who?"

"They are! Don't you hear...?" Mathew paused wide eyed in midsentence. He couldn't remember what he was saying. They were stealing his thoughts again. "GET OUT!" Mathew began to pull at his hair harshly, scratching his nails through his scalp desperately at points.

"Sir?"

"GET OUT GET OUT GETOUTGETOUT!" Mathew screeched. He looked at the man blankly, releasing his hair. "I'm Mathew, who are you?"

"I'm Rob, would you like to come to the station?"

"Why would I come to the I like the weather today. It's nice isn't it?" Rob looked at the blonde in confusion.

"Right... Can you come with me?" Rob touched Mathew's shoulder reassuringly but Mathew lunged snarling.

"You're with them! You're after me!" Rob threw his weight so he was pinning the thin blonde, handcuffing his hands behind his back as Mathew kicked and screamed about Rob being 'one of them' and accusing Rob of 'hacking his brain and stealing his memories.' Rob was more concerned that Mathew appeared sober and actually believed this to the fact that he'd been attacked by a teen.

Rob began to read Mathew his rights calmly.

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Barely three hours later Mercy was listening as L explained to their smallish group that Mathew had been arrested believing people were 'hacking' into his brain. Carlos immediately felt irritated for some reason. He shook his head shoving down the feeling as L continued about how he'd retrieved Mathew from the jail and had locked him instead in the hospital ward.

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"Let's get this straight." Mello said as Matt helped Joker sit up. "You work for someone named Kira who..."

"Kills criminals." Joker helpfully finished.

"And you're here to..."

"Stop L's evil ways."

"And if we help you...?"

"We'll try to get you home!" Joker concluded, nodding happily as if being tied up and being interrogated was a normal occurrence for him now he'd calmed down and got into the flow of answering or dodging questions depending on if he wanted to answer. "I'm hungry, how about we team up to raid the kitchen while you think?" Joker offered. Mello held up Matt's gun.

"We're good. Not many people have guns here." Mello dismissed.

"Ah, but can you SHOOT it?" Mello was silent for a moment.

"Untie him Matt, I like this kid." Mello decided smugly. Matt obeyed silently, liking the kid as well. He was the only person in this school who actually talked to them unlike Far. Far had decided they were doing fine on their own and left them to it, in fact with the way things were going Far would soon be in first place. Something Far seemed rather happy about. "Ok, so first we raid the kitchen and then?"

"If you need to return to your world you use the door to your world, right?" Joker looked at them and noticed the confused faces. "How'd you get here?"

"The mirror on the second floor."

"So you use the mirror." Joker concluded.

"But I tried that, it didn't work." Matt's voice was high pitched in desperation.

"Then there's a second part to it. Was there anything else?"

"...When we came here, Mathew and Carlos went there. According to L, the person we called BB at Wammy's was originally Backup who came here through the mirror. Perhaps both people need to be at the mirror at the same time?" Matt suggested finally. Joker nodded, it made sense.

"You can't have the same person in the realm twice, but if they traded places the realms would stay balanced." Joker expanded, Mello and Matt nodded. "So if you were both at the mirror and they were as well..."

"We'd go home if we both touched the mirror at the same time." Mello finished running a hand through his short blonde hair. Perhaps he'd grow it out again when he didn't need to worry about his hair length. "Hopefully I won't see Far before I go." Matt put a hand on his shoulder and Mello forced down a flinch. The memories still haunted him at times.

"Hopefully they'll have decent therapists." Matt tried to joke.

"No therapist will be able to help us." Mello honestly thought that, Matt nodded knowing he was right. Training was not easily thrown away. After a moment they stood, preparing to go to the kitchens.

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The kitchens had probably once been clean and welcoming, like the one at the other school, instead this one was filthy with a thick layer of dust and blood coating it. Mello made a face of disgust but went to the cupboards. They filled the kitchen with food daily, but you needed to be prepared to fight for it at any moment. Mello almost compared it to hunting.

Inside the cupboard were fresh vegetables of many types, cans of food and even a few bars of chocolate. He skipped over them and grabbed the vegetables. Inside another cupboard were packs of meat. He also pulled out them. "I'll make a stew, guard the door." Mello ordered. There had been a time where he'd thought things would work better in the school if the students worked together to escape the teachers. Now he knew that that would never happen. The paranoia and bloodlust were too strong. After a while, killing seemed almost natural. Mello knew he could now identify with most serial killers and for some reason that didn't make him feel as sick as he thought it would.

Mello began to cook after cleaning the saucepan to remove the dried blood from the bottom of it. Someone had used it as a bludgeoning instrument and never cleaned it up. How rude. After half an hour the food was finished and Mello, after tying down the lid so it wouldn't spill, grabbed three spoons out of the drawer, cleaned them and left, carrying the saucepan and spoons up the stairs to the bedroom.

They ate silently.

"Tomorrow, we'll make camp near the mirror." Was all Mello said.


	20. Chapter 20

Mathew was not happy with being back obviously but Mercy had made her point. He didn't fit into this world. But he didn't fit into the other world either. It was a rather annoying problem if he admitted it to himself. He was locked in the infirmary; he knew he wasn't getting out as well. Mathew walked over to the drawer he knew contained surgical equipment and picked the lock, pulling out a scalpel with a grim look. Perhaps he belonged in neither world?

_Of course you don't._ A voice nagged. _Who would miss you in the other world? Even Carlos was using you!_

"Shut up! I need something!" Mathew snapped. He needed some hope. Otherwise he'd go insane. Well, more insane then he was now.

_Ah I see, that's why you stole the scalpel. The hope of death, release. _Mathew froze, looking at the blade. He'd been digging it into his wrist without realising and with a hiss of pain dropped it. He was not a coward, he'd stopped this! He'd stopped his wish to die! To kill yourself was to murder yourself. The number one sin! Wrath! Murder! _But you are a murderer._ The voice continued snidely. _Look at your training._

"I had no choice!" Mathew tried to justify.

_There is always a choice. There is no shame in dying from refusing to kill. Some people would prefer it even. No, you're a murderer. You killed to save your own skin. Don't lie, even to yourself._ Mathew sobbed loudly covering his mouth. _And now you're crying because of the truth. Even L would hate you, he hates liars like you._

"I hate you. I hate you." Mathew muttered crouching, fisting his hair harshly as he crouched on the floor.

_Finally, some truth._ The voice whispered snidely in his ear. Mathew choked out a sob. _Pathetic! Just pathetic! First Carlos uses you, and then you break, __**break, **__**break**__ because of it! Useless! Worthless! Stupid little child!_

Mathew gave up arguing, just cried helplessly as the voices hounded him.

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Mello and Matt were met by Far. He had turned up randomly, sat with them and, after offering a drink of tea from a metal teapot he'd obviously taken from the kitchen, finally spoke. "So, you're off." Far drank from the pot almost lazily. "Are you taking the Mercy lookalike? Dove I think her name was?" Mello froze. "She's hanging from the ceiling in the library, so I don't think she'll be much use to you. Perhaps a corpse can be used for transfers though." Far added snidely, smiling sweetly at Mello and Matt. They barely twitched at the news of Dove's death Far noticed happily.

"So, why'd she die?" Mello was trying to be sad, he was, but he felt so damn _numb_ he couldn't find it within himself.

"They realized she wasn't Mercy and, unlike you who could explain the situation, Dove appeared to be mute. They hanged her thinking she was a spy sent by L." Joker shuddered, he noticed Far hadn't mentioned they'd probably tortured her first. Probably whored her out as well, some of the older ones liked the feeling of power behind rape.

"So she's dead and Mercy can't come back. Let's hope she doesn't realise that before we get back. She'll kill Mathew and Carlos."

"I doubt it." Far muttered before wiping his mouth with his sleeve as a bit of tea dripped down his chin. "She might not seem it, but she is fond of Carlos and Mathew. As a child Mathew was considered the group pet at times." Mello nodded looking at the mirror behind him. They could only stay in this spot for so long before they became vulnerable. Well, more vulnerable than normal...

Mello smiled at Far, who was skipping classes for them. Far noticed. "I'm not here to help. I'm here because Carlos has saved me from dying too many times to abandon now. And Mathew owes me a few favours." Far defended. Mello saw them for the excuses they were, attempts to separate himself from friendship and lost his smile. Mello nodded in acceptance of the blatant lies, ignoring the sad look in Far's eyes. After that they sat in silence again.

"...Sooner or later someone has to come across the mirror." Mello finally snapped after hours of waiting. Far raised an eyebrow. "And don't even think of talking about patience Far!"

"Why would I?" Far asked making Mello almost wilt.

"Good point." Mello looked at the mirror again. Matt tried to smile but it came out as a grimace, he couldn't look at Far. Instead he looked at the floor. The wall. Mello. Anyone but Far. He was going home. _Home._ The word was wrong though. Was it home?

Mello jumped up, upsetting the pot of tea and making Far glare at him promising murder. Until he saw the white haired boy watching with a raised eye brow, toy under one arm in his overly large white pyjamas. "Oh dear lord, is that me?" Far literally groaned. "I look like a snot nosed brat."

"That you are... he is." Mello corrected seeing Far look even more murderous than usual. "It's confusing to word." Mello near-apologised. Far knew it was a lie but nodded in acceptance. Near knocked on the glass lazily. "Near." Mello nodded. Near seemed to smile, then noticed Mello's hair.

"Mello's hair is short. And red." He added as an afterthought, Mello's blonde hair was streaked in red. Mello ran a hand through it, looked and muttered 'huh' in realisation. "Mello didn't notice?"

"Bit hard to notice when people are chasing you with knives." Far glared at Near, sizing him up as he stood. He bowed mockingly. "The name's Far, I hear you have Carlos and Mathew?"

"Mathew's in a breakdown, Carlos has amnesia. I'm still working out if this is a dream or not." Near added honestly.

"Get a knife, stab your hand. If you're asleep you won't feel a thing. Or, we switch places and I go get them. I honestly just want them back, I miss annoying Mathew." He felt stares on his back. "Okay, fine. I enjoy throwing him out windows and putting him in near death situations just to pull him out of them again. I also hate being in first place, it's annoyingly tedious being watched."

"Watched?"

"L's watching me for weaknesses. Mello here," Far jabbed a thumb at Mello furiously. "Dropped to second last week and I've been first ever since. Matt's in third but is rapidly falling. And that's just the beginning. Now, what do we do?" Near watched cautiously before walking away quietly. "Get back here worm!" Near didn't reply. "...shite..."

"Yes, insult the person we need to get them back home. That works great." Joker drawled lazily. "Is there any soup left?" Mello glanced at the pot.

"I'll go make some more." Mello offered.

"Leave it, Near might come back." Far snapped sitting down again. He obviously wasn't hopeful. "Then again he might pull a me. Kill the opposition when weak. He could kill Mathew and Carlos to stay in first, if your worlds the opposite of ours he has nothing to worry about."

"He's always been in first. I was second and Matt was third." Mello muttered idly. Far nodded and sat back against the wall. Then he looked at Joker.

"You are aware when all this is over I'll have to kill you?"

"If you want to." Joker shrugged, noting Far had said 'murder' not 'torture'. He held no interest in information. Far smirked and Joker swallowed nervously.

"Good, my pliers have been bored lately." Matt turned green and Joker paled considerably.

"I happen to be attached to my nails thanks."

"Ah, but what about your teeth?" Far hummed pleasantly. Joker took on a similar shade of green to Matt and slumped. "No? Good." Joker cut his losses.

"What do you want?"

"Name and person who hired you."

"My name's Jason. Kira hired me. I was an orphan on the street until Kira found me." Far smirked at Joker's lies.

"Curious, L appears to believe your name's Lewis, your mother's called Charlotte and your father's called Steve." Joker turned white, eyes wide. "Or were I should say, their bodies are at this moment being delivered to the port." The ocean, of course. Put the bodies in the ocean and they'll never be found. "But L's decided he likes you, in fact you're his new favourite student."

"You... You..." Joker started.

"Yes...?" Far sang.

"YOU MONSTER!" Joker screeched, lunging forward eyes wide. Far smiled serenely and pulled out a knife with a sharp flick.

"Ara, ara, you shouldn't be so obvious you fool." Far held out the knife and Joker slammed right into it. He fell to the floor screaming as his hands clutched the knife sticking out of his chest. "Of course, sometimes rushing is suicide, especially when it's me." Far concluded, a dark smile appearing. Mello stared wide eyed but made no move towards him, even when Joker held a hand out to him for help, blood dripping from his mouth. Oh, his drowning on his blood Mello thought in interest before looking at the mirror again. Death no longer concerned him he realised, almost chuckling madly. Instead he sat back and watched Far lean over the body and, on a whim kissed his bloody lips.

"Pity, you were cute." Far commented licking his blood stained lips. "Perhaps I should help you heal and keep you as my pet?" Joker glared as hard as he could before letting his head fall back tiredly. Far pulled out his knife with a squelching noise, wiping Joker's blood off on Joker's own trousers in insult. "You shouldn't have challenged us." Far spat.

Then they realised Joker was already dead.


End file.
